Steven Universe: Echo in Our Minds
by JamesFames
Summary: After the death of his mother and younger brother, Seth Connors, also known as Echo the Gem Stalker, ventures on a quest for truth and vengeance. Along the way, Echo discovers some major secrets of his past. Enjoy! And be sure to review!
1. Chapter 1

**If you guys have read 'Fires of Rage' already, you can tell that this story revolves around the origins of the infamous Gem Stalker, like you've never seen him before. So, brace yourselves, for a tale that has forever changed the Stalkers life. Enjoy! And be sure to review!**

Steven Universe: The Echo in Our Minds

The Prologue

 _Not everyone grows up with a normal family and has a normal life. My life was all but normal. And by the time I was in my teens, it was the first time I died. Or so I thought._

With a groan, the young man, none other than Seth Conners, woke up, to the smell of smoke and burnt flesh. His clothes were a mess, but his jeans were still blue, with only a single cut in the knee. His white shirt was covered in dirt and blood. His black boots had small bits of dirt on them, but they remained clean. His long black hair was a mess, but his face was clean, before he allowed his goatee to grow out.

"What happened here?" He wondered, as he looked at the burned down house, noticing the smell of rotten flesh.

"I see that you have awoken, young one." A feminine voice startled him, as he spun around, coming face to face with a sort of ghost. The aura was bright pink as well as her skin, her hair was also pink with many curls, her dress was a strapless, floor-length, lilac-trimmed, tiered white dress that had multiple layers that lay flat most of the time with a star-shaped cutout in the stomach area, specifically where a quartz gemstone rested.

"Who are you?" Seth asked, curious about the stranger wraith "Or better yet, what happened?"

"I am Rose Quartz, young one," Rose Quartz said, bowing, before saying "And you, my friend, have been banished…from death."

"Death!?" Seth gasped, coming to a horrible realization "You mean…I'm DEAD!?"

"Well, not exactly." Rose chuckled, finding his disbelief humorous "As I have said, you have been banished from death."

"I don't understand," Seth said, finding this hard to believe "This is a lot to take in."

"You were killed, that much is true," Rose said, placing a ghostly hand on his shoulder "But you have been cursed, and therefore, prevented from dying."

"That's a lot to take in," Seth said, still giving her a curious stare "But what are you? And what brought you here?"

"I am an extraterrestrial being, known as a Gem," Rose declared "Or was, long ago. After my child was born, I was passed on from this world. But I am not certain as to how I am brought here and bound to you."

"Wait. What do you mean 'bound' to me?" Seth asked.

Rose lifted her hand held something up, and suddenly, a ghostly chain appeared, connecting to a black collar around her neck, and the chain also linked to a similar collar around Seth's neck as well.

"You mean to tell me," Seth gulped, in realization "That I have some…ghost attached to me?!"

"Wraith," Rose corrected "And it would seem so."

"Well, this is just great," Seth groaned, not liking the idea of having a ghost attached to him "As if being undead wasn't bad enough, now I have some ghost attached to me? As if things couldn't possibly get any worse…"

"Wraith," Rose corrected again, before frowning "And I'm not so bad, once you get to know me."

"To be honest, I think I'm better off dead," Seth frowned "Cause there's nothing left here for me…"

"Don't think like that," Rose said, sensing the sadness in his voice "It's not so bad."

"Really?" Seth frowned "How can this be anywhere near better!?"

"I'm not sure," Rose mused "But it wouldn't hurt to try to find out."

"Find out what, exactly!?" Seth growled "I don't know what's going on!"

"No, but if you try," Rose smiled "You might find some closure. And with my help, we can find the truth together."

"I don't know," Seth said, still unsure "I still don't know who you are."

"Tell you what," Rose said "You help me and I'll tell you everything you want to know about the Gems, and I do mean everything. By understanding my species, you can see why we once remained far from humanity."

Seth thought for a moment, then let out a sigh.

"Fine." He sighed "But only because you're just gonna keep bugging me about it otherwise."

"Very good," Rose smiled "Now, where do we start?"

"Why ask me?" Seth frowned "This is your bloody idea!"

"Well," Rose thought for a moment, then smiled "We could go to the temple, not too far from here. It served as our base, even before the war began."

"What war?" Seth asked.

"Once we reach the temple, I will explain everything." Rose assured "You have my assurance."

"Fine." Seth sighed, then spotted a crate, underneath a pile of rubble. Brushing off the dust, he opened the chest, seeing the outfit and equipment he would later being seen wearing in the future.

"What's all this?" Rose asked.

"This belonged to a hero I once looked up to with great admiration." Seth declared "He was an assassin, only known by the name of 'Echo'. He later died of a cancer, and passed his belongings to me, saying I will don the name of 'Echo', when the time is right."

"That time seems to be now, doesn't it?" Rose grinned.

Seth nodded "Yes. It does."

After putting on his new outfit, he strapped on his gear, pulled over his cowl and put on his black and white kabuki mask "Now, we begin the hunt. The enemy will pay for ever laying a hand on an innocent soul. I am the shadow of the night. I am the necessary evil that haunts every dark corner of their minds. I will never rest. And neither will they, for they will fear the Echo of Darkness."

He turned and went in one direction, with Rose bound to him, with a new plan ahead."

 _With my new goal in mind, I began to make my way to the temple. It was going to be a long walk, but I knew that it would be worth the trip. With this wraith, I feel as if there's more to it than that. But whatever she has to say, I will do my best to understand. For now, I will focus on my current objective for now._

 **I hope you guys are still looking forward to the new stories and chapters, because they're only gonna get better! Stay tuned! And be sure to review!**


	2. Chapter 2

Steven Universe: Echo in Our Mind

Chapter One: Power Of The Gem-Wraith

Echo walked for what seemed like hours now, simply as if he's been walking an endless road of nothingness. The dirt crunched beneath his boots, the wind softly blowing against his face, he felt as if he was walking on the beach, minus the ocean and sand and salty smell of the beach.

"I feel as if we've been walking for what seems like an eternity." Echo groaned, feeling the stiffness in his legs "How much further do we have to keep walking?"

"It's not much further now." Rose Quartz declared, appearing beside him "We're making plenty of progress."

"Easy for you to say." Echo pouted "I'm the one doing the majority of the leg work!"

"Try not to make such a big deal of it." Rose chuckled "We're almost there."

Just as Rose had said, they had arrived at the entrance way into Beach City.

"See? Just as I've said, we've arrived." Rose smiled.

"Good for us, I still ended up doing the majority of the leg work." Echo pouted, his legs feeling rather sore.

Suddenly, there was a sudden scream, as Echo's pointed ears twitched.

"What was that?" Echo wondered, looking around.

"I didn't hear anything." Rose shrugged, cocking her head to the side.

"Hmph. I guess despite being an 'advanced race', your sense of hearing still isn't as acute as mine." Echo smirked

Suddenly, the scream returned, this time, loud enough for Rose Quartz to hear as well.

"Okay, I heard it that time." Rose said, concerned "Sounds like someone needs help."

"Then let's go help, then." Echo said, turning to the direction of the scream.

He walked another mile, before seeing what looked like a sort of chase; a young woman was being chased by what looked like some sorts of mutants, hulking, ugly humanoids, wearing only loincloths and holding large maces, bigger than the average maces.

"Come back here, fish!" One of the three mutants shouted "Master not done with you!"

"Leave me alone!" The female yelled back, trying to keep ahead of her peruses "I don't want to be a slave anymore!"

Echo watched as the woman was chased, then fear filled his heart, as the woman tripped over a rock, and then anger replaced fear, as the leading mutant grabbed her leg.

"Stop trying to run, fish!" The second mutant sneered, as he began pulling her "It won't hurt a bit!"

"Bullies…" Echo whispered, as his blood boiled, not taking the sight anymore, as he suddenly approached the monsters "HEY! Why don't you mutants pick on someone your own size?!"

"Huh?!" The mutants turned and looked at Echo, their teeth bare "Master have no need of MALES! You dead man, MEAT!"

The first mutant released the woman, then charged at Echo, swinging a punch, but Echo caught it, absorbing the force of the punch, showing no strain from the blow, the Echo delivered a sucker punch of his own, to the jaw of the mutant, inflicting great pain, then delivered an uppercut to the mutants jaw, sending him flying by ten feet, landing him on a spiked rock.

"How did that happen?!" Echo wondered, surprised at his own strength.

"As long as we are bond together, you have my strength," Rose explained, as Echo examined his hand "My powers are yours, and that goes for my speed, agility and other perks. This is one of the many powers of the Gem-Wraith."

As the second mutant took a mad dash towards him, Echo quickly saw it, from the corner of his eye, and took a big leap over the charging mutant, and as soon as he landed, he drew out his longsword and sliced the mutants head clean off.

"This power is amazing!" Echo thought, amazed at his new skills "Where did you achieve such training?!"

"As a Gem, I am practically a trained warrior." Rose said "We have many strengths, for we are an immortal race. However, like humans, we too have our share of weaknesses."

"Oh?" Echo raised an eyebrow "Like what?"

"Like overconfidence," Rose declared "For example, watch out!"

Echo turned and quickly ducked under a punch from the final mutant, then Echo got up and sliced the mutants legs off, as it fell to the ground.

"Lousy MEAT!" The mutant yelled, not fazed by the pain of his legs being chopped off "I'll EAT you for DINNER!"

"What is with these creatures?" Echo demanded, rather confused about the hulking beasts "What brought these things into this world?!"

"These are the work of the Diamond Authority, I'm afraid." Rose Quartz frowned "Unfortunate creatures from outer galaxies, twisted by Gem-science, into terrible mutants." She looked at the mutant, then back to Echo and said "The poor creatures could've been anyone."

"Who are the Diamond Authority?" Echo asked "And what do they want?"

"The Diamond Authority was once a large council of Diamonds." Rose declared "Made up of the colors of the rainbow; Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Along with black and white. Each Diamond resembled a certain persona," Rose lifted her hand, her palm faced up, as a magical aura flowed above, as she made appear an image of a demon, cloaked in red flames. "Red Diamond resembles Rage." Next, appearing in her hand, was an image of a greedy nobleman, carrying a rather massive bag of gold. "Orange Diamond resembles Greed." Next appeared the image of a cowardly farmer, cowering from a massive yellow shadow. "Yellow Diamond resembles Fear." Next appeared the image of a green illuminated masked man, pushing against a seemingly impossible force. "Green Diamond resembles Will." Next appeared an image of a caped superhero, standing before the crowd of cheering citizens. "Blue Diamond resembles Hope." Next appeared an image of a purple glowing heart. "Purple Diamond resembles Love." Next appeared an image of a white halo. "White Diamond resembles Life." And finally, an image of a black skull and cross bones appeared. "And Black Diamond resembles Death." Making the images vanish, Rose finished "They were once a united Council, ruling over the Gen race. However, the council were using these facilities, known as 'Kindergatens', to create more Gems. However, to do so, they used these facilities to drain a planet dry of its core, killing it in the process."

"A noble goal, but extreme methods." Echo said, skeptical "Surely there must be other options."

"If there were other options, they would've considered them eons ago," Rose frowned "And even if there were, not every Authority member would have simply agreed with it. When I started the rebellion, while half of the Authority wanted the Crystal Gems destroyed, the other half of the Authority wanted terms of peace. So, Me, Garnet and Pearl met with the half of the Diamond Authority, Blue, Green, Purple, and White Diamond, on neutral ground, where violence was forbidden. However, they were accompanied by Yellow Diamond herself."

"This Yellow Diamond sounded like bad news," Echo noted "How bad is she?"

"As I said, she resembles Fear." Rose reminded "She fears nothing, which may sound ironic, but she's rotten, to the core. She was, in fact, the one who ordered an attack on that village, back there. The one who had your mother and brother killed. I had a feeling that it was a trap, but when a fellow Gem invites you to a meeting, to discuss terms of peace, I had little choice but to attend."

"What happened then?" Echo asked.

"We talked, and talked, but we got nowhere." Rose frowned "When I made it clear that the Crystal Gems would not consider peace, until the Authority shuts down the Kindergardens, the Diamonds we met with were going to consider it. Unfortunately, before I could even shake hands with them, Yellow Diamond gave the signal…" She pointed to the small crater in the ground "Her soldiers leapt out of the graves, like Gem undead! Fortunately, the Diamonds we were acquainted with helped us make short work of them, but Yellow Diamond escaped, labeling her own fellow Diamonds traitors."

"Sounds typical for someone like her," Echo sneered "But why did the Diamonds you met with side with you?"

"Like us, the Diamonds we met wanted to put an end to aggressions, an end to the constant draining of the planets," Rose declared "So after the Crystal Gems victory against the Authority on Earth, the Diamonds that we befriended immediately sided with us. Therefore, the Crystal Guardians was formed, with Green, Blue, Purple, and White Diamonds standing beside us."

"And how are things now?" Echo asked.

"I'm honestly not sure." Rose said "In fact, I wonder how my fellow Crystal Gems are doing now?"

"Don't ignore me, MEAT!" The mutant yelled, somehow still alive "I'll eat you for supper!"

"How can we stop these Diamond Authority threats?" Echo asked, ignoring the mutant still.

"I'm not sure," Rose said, before turning to the mutant "But HE may know. Put your hand against his head and tap into his mind."

Echo wasn't so sure if Rose knew what she was about to do, but he knew that if wanted to figure out what the Diamond Authority were up to and put a stop to it, he was going to have to trust her and do what she said. So without question, he carefully approached the crippled mutant, then placed his left hand on the side of the mutants face and to his surprise, it began glowing.

"Let go, MEAT!" The mutant screamed, trying to bite at Echo's hand, to no avail "I wanna EAT you!"

"Shut up," Echo said, as his hand began glowing, as his voice began sounding more feminine "You WILL obey!"

As he said that, he tapped into the mutants mind, seeing several flashing images, of several facilities, mainly one small camp, somewhat close to Beach City, and as he returned to reality, he unintentionally snapped the mutant's neck, killing it instantly.

"What was that?" Echo asked, freaked out by what had just occurred.

"One of my many abilities, to look into the minds of others, and search their memories." Rose declared "It allows one to search another's mind, should they attempt to lie. And perhaps even bend them to your will, if you so desire."

"Where did such a power come from?" Echo asked, confused "It seems unnatural."

"It's a power, adapted from our foes," Rose said "A way of striking fear into the hearts of their underlings, into our service."

"So to defeat the enemy," Echo wondered "We must gain intel through their troops?"

"Close, my friend." Rose smiled.

"Excuse me?"

Echo turned to the woman, seeing it to be none other than Jade herself.

"Who are you talking to?" She asked, skeptical. "And who are you?"

"Call me Echo, ma'am." Echo said, ignoring the first question "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Jade said, curious about the young man "I'm Jade. And that was pretty impressive, what you just did there. How did you do that?"

"Well…" Echo thought for a moment, then said "I've been practicing a lot. Why were those freaks after you?"

"I'm…not sure…" Jade said, unsure of what to tell him "All I know is that they kept saying something about some 'master' of theirs."

"Master, huh," Echo wondered "Well, I'll see if I can deal with the guys these freaks were working for. You get to safety."

"Sure. And thanks." She smiled, then as Echo turned to the other way, she frowned and shooked her head, as she thought "What a foolish human."

Meanwhile, Echo made his way down another somewhat hidden pathway, and saw a small fire in the distance. He made his way closer, then ducked within some small bushes, peeking out to see several tents set up, spotting several mutants, sitting around the fire.

"Looks like there's just three of them," Rose whispered "Now, here's the plan, we-"

But before she could finish, Echo made a mad dash to the campsite, his longsword drawn and as soon as he reached the camp, he cut down one of the mutants.

"More MEAT!" The first mutant yelled "Let's EAT!"

The two remaining mutants rushed at him, but Echo, being more strategic, slipped under one of them, then sliced the second one in half.

"Bastard freaks!" Echo yelled in anger "I'll slay every one of you freaks, for what you've done!"

The last mutant made to swing its hammer at Echo, only to miss, then be greeted with a blade to the throat, killing him instantly.

"That was far reckless of you, Echo." Rose sneered, as Echo sheathed his blade "You should not rush into danger like that!"

"Are you honestly scolding me, Gem?" Echo snarled, facing the Gem-Wraith "These freaks murdered my mother and brother! What the heck would YOU do?!"

Rose was silent for a moment, then said "We had best get going to the temple. It's not too far."

"Fine." Echo turned and the two made their way to Beach City.

 _On that walk, I kept thinking about what I had done and what Rose Quartz had said, about me being reckless. Throughout my entire adventure, I have faced many dangers and thanks to her, I learned how to survive and defeat those dangers. Over the course of my story, kind readers, you will see how I met the Crystal Gems, how I made so many enemies, how Rose and I became close friends, but most importantly, how I earned the heart of the wild, carefree party animal of the Crystal Gems. Until then, see you guys in the next chapter._


	3. Chapter 3

Steven Universe: Echo in Our Minds

Chapter Two: A Similar Pain That Connects

 _My life had taken an unexpected turn for me, since I came back from the dead. Now that Rose Quartz was with me, I had amazing power, but I still must learn the ways of the Gem. There are still some small details that she's leaving out. Whatever they may be, I had to stay focused. Speaking of that, here is where I learned of the pain that connected us and how I met the puma, missing from my jungle…_

After the tussle with the mutants, Echo had finally arrived at his destination. He stood outside the temple, and the house that stood in front of it. Echo was rather skeptical at first, for he never saw a temple with a house before.

"So this is the place, right?" Echo asked "When did you get a house, to go with it?"

"My husband, Greg, built it, long before my son was born." Rose said, appearing beside Echo "It's been here for quite a long time."

"You have a son?" Echo wondered "What's his name?" 

"Steven Universe." Rose declared "A very special young boy. When he was born, however, I had to give up my physical form, in order to give birth to him, and pass down my Gemstone to him, which ended in my departure from this world."

"So you died after child birth?" Echo said, sympathetically "That's too bad. The kid must be having a rough life."

"Actually, from what I can tell, he's been living life easy." Rose smiled "He's made several friends and learned so much. I only hope that he is well."

"Only one way to find out." Echo nodded "Let's see if anyone's home."

Echo went up the ramp, and knocked several times, with no answer. As he gently pushed on the door, it opened slightly, and he opened it all the way, seeing the lights were out. Turning on the lights, he looked from one corner of the room to the other, seeing no one in sight.

"Looks like nobodies home." Echo shrugged, looking from one corner of the room to the other "Maybe they went out?"

"Perhaps…" Rose sighed, knowing full well where her old friends may be "I suppose it wouldn't hurt if you looked around. Only know this…" She pointed a ghostly figure towards the temple door "Do not attempt to interact with the temple door. The Gems may not take kindly to a stranger, poking around where he shouldn't."

"If you saw the life I was livin', you would see that I've been there and done it all, and never got caught." Echo grinned "But I will heed your warning. This time."

There weren't many rooms, however, because the house was somewhat small, so Echo decided to search a bit smaller, looking in the cabinets, under the tables and the bed upstairs, finding nothing. He looked inside the closet and was surprised to find a rather curious pink cannon, propped on a shelf.

"What's with this cannon here?" Echo asked.

"I see." Rose asked, much to Echo's confusion "Steven and Greg must've found one of my old Light Cannon's."

"Light Cannon's?" Echo frowned, not sure what use such a medieval contraption.

"An old cannon, from a long time ago." Rose declared, but frowned "But what was it doing here?"

Ignoring the question, Echo grabbed it by the barrel and dragged it out of the closet, carefully, but suddenly felt a strong sensation in his hands. His hands began to glow, as he saw a vision, as he screamed out.

 _The vision…_

The vision he saw was of a plain that seems damaged after a great war. Rose Quartz stood out in the field, alongside Garnet and Pearl, as she stood before the thousands of her followers fallen corpses, as tears fell down her face.

"They all died with honor and courage." Garnet declared, putting a hand on Rose's shoulder "They did not die in vain."

"I know," Rose sighed, as she gazed at the battle damage "I just wish they could've been saved."

 _End of flashback_

Echo reawakened, realizing he was lying on the floor, and saw Rose lying in front of him, face to face.

"What the heck was that?!" Echo gasped, as he struggled to his feet.

"A memory from the war." Rose Quartz sighed, as the two got on their knees "After the war, I lost many good Gems, those I had once considered close friends, like family even."

"So, just as I have lost my mother and brother to those monsters," Echo recalled, as he looked Rose in the eyes "You too have lost close friends in the war to them, despite the close victory."

"Yes," Rose nodded, as the two rose to their feet "Perhaps it's this similar pain of loss, that connects us."

"Hey dude."

Echo turned, to see Amethyst herself, sitting on the counter, simply giving him a smile that somewhat makes him uneasy.

"Hey, masked dude." Amethyst chuckled "What brings a stranger like you here?"

But as soon as she said that, Echo pulled out his shotgun and on instict, he fired several shots at her, but Amethyst managed to dodge the shots, as the bullets left several holes in the wall. Echo fired another shot, only to shatter a vase, and accidentally tipped over the television set in the process. The struggle continued, making quite the mess of the place.

"Dude, calm down, will ya?!" Amethyst yelled, as she dodged another bullet, and ducked behind a couch "I was just wondering if you needed help with something!"

Echo tossed over the couch, pointing the barrel of his shotgun at Amethyst, who was backed against a wall. Usually, she wouldn't be afraid of just any human, but Echo was certain something different. He had a look in his eyes that could strike fear in the heart of the Devil himself, if Satan had a heart.

"The only thing that could help is if you shut your mouth for good!" Echo snarled, as he pointed the barrel of his shotgun at Amethyst's face, but when he pulled the trigger, nothing came out, as he looked at the gun, then at the scared expression in Amethyst's face "Well, lucky for you, Shorty, I have to reload. Run or scream, however, and I'll take your tongue."

Echo removed his mask and placed it on the counter, as he pulled out several shotgun shells, as he began reloading. And as Echo started reloading his shotgun, Amethyst looked at his face with a curious look on her face, as she began admiring the beautiful blue of his eyes, and his pretty face, as suddenly, her eyes shifted with lust, as she licked her lips, as she got on her knees, her eyes soley concentrated on Echo's face.

"Say, you look kinda cute, pretty boy." Amethyst purred, gaining Echo's attention "I never thought I'd say this to just any human, but just for the face and CRAZY personality, you definitely get a ten outa ten!"

"Huh?" Echo asked, confused, as he raised an eyebrow "What're you talking about?"

"The way you have that 'take-crap-from-no-one' persona," Amethyst cooed, as she rose to her feet "The way you yell and show that you're a force to be reconed with. In fact, you're no ordinary human."

"What do you mean?" Echo stuttered, as he finished reloading.

"You're a MAN." Amethyst smiled, as she walked towards him, swaying her hips as she walked "And I do like a good man."

"What?" Echo gasped, as he backed up, pointing the barrel of his shotgun at her "You're WEIRD! Don't come any closer!"

"Don't even try it." Amethyst grinned, drawing out her whip "We both know you won't do it."

"Echo, try to calm yourself." Rose Quartz giggled, appearing beside Echo "You should know that's she's only teasing with you."

"Well, it's kinda hard to tell if they're joking or not, Gem." Echo whispered, putting away his shotgun.

Amethyst looked at him, and her eyes grew wide, as she saw the spirit of Rose Quartz, standing right beside him.

"Rose Quartz!" Amethyst screamed with joy, like a child "Is that you?!"

"Amethyst?" Rose said, confused that Amethyst sees her "You can see me?!"

"Of course!" Amethyst cheered "It's been so long!"

Amethyst ran towards her, arms spread wide, as she jumped, but she went right through her, falling on her face.

"What the-?" Amethyst gasped, getting to her feet "What just happened?!"

"Why, nothing," Rose shrugged "I'm kind of a...ghost."

"A ghost?" Amethyst frowned "What's that?"

"It's a spirit of some sort." Echo explained "It's a spiritual beings that is rarely seen by the human eye. Let alone yours."

"So, how come I can see her, but I can't touch her?" Amethyst asked.

"That's just how ghosts work, Shorty." Echo shrugged "We don't know how or why that is, but it just is."

"But how are you here, Rose?!" Amethyst faced Rose Quartz, a wide smile on her face "I thought you were gone for good! We all did!"

"I was," Rose nodded "But a curse has bound me to Echo here. I'm not sure how or why, but we're going to find out."

"Until then, we're kinda stuck together." Echo sighed "So, while we're looking for the cause of this curse, we're kinda just traveling at the moment."

"But how can you call it a curse, when it's such a good thing?" Amethyst said "And get this, Rose: Diamond is back!"

"Diamond?" Rose Quartz gasped "You mean the same one?"

"That's right!" Amethyst smirked "The son of Blue Diamond and Joey 'Bloodstone' Mercury has returned! And even better, is that he's staying with us at the Temple!"

"Well, that's woderful." Rose smiled "Where is he?"

"He went out for a walk," Amethyst shrugged "But just wait until he and the others get back, they'll be so surprised to see you again!"

"I'm sure they will," Echo frowned "But I'm afraid we can't wait for them. We need to get going."

"Do we?" Rose asked.

"Yes, we do." Echo growled "We have important things to take care of."

"Hold on a minute, dude." Amethyst said, getting in his way "I don't know what YOUR rush is, but Rose Quartz happens to be Stevens mother, so I think that you should at least wait for them."

"And who knows how long THAT'S gonna take them." Echo growled, trying to shove past her "Outta the way."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa there, pretty boy!" Amethyst tutted, getting in his way again "No need to be in such a rush! I'm sure that we can-"

"I said 'OUT OF MY WAY'!" Echo shouted, before kicking her and sending her into a pile of knocked down furniture.

"Was that really nessecary?" Rose frowned "She only wanted you to meet Steven."

"No, she wanted YOU to see Steven, whoever he is." Echo corrected "And besides, she kept getting in my way."

"Well..." Rose thought for a moment, then said "Well, what if I wanted to see Steven?"

"Don't start with me, Rose," Echo frowned "Besides, we're on a scheduel, yet we have NO leads."

"Well," Rose mused, then said "How about we make our way to a place a I know of, a place called the 'Kindergarten'."

"Kindergarten?" Echo said "Why would we head to a school?"

"It's not a school." Rose shooked her head "It's a place where the Gems nightmare began. Head there and you will see what I mean."

"I suppose so." Echo shrugged "Then to the place where the gems nightmare began then."

As Echo left the house and made his way down the beach, Rose Quartz appeared beside him.

"What're you thinking about?" She asked.

"About what that 'Amethyst' said about me. About me being...cute." Echo answered.

"And?" Rose pressed the matter "You're thoughts?"

"Does it matter?" Echo frowned "Besides, I don't have time to think about romance."

"But what're your thoughts on the compliments she gave you?" Rose asked "You don't feel...fuzzy inside?"

"Not over a few measly compliments, no." Echo stated, before blushing under his mask "But I did like the way she swayed her hips. And those thighs, and her..." He quickly shooked his head "What's your point?"

"One day, we should at least pay a visit." Rose smiled "You should give Amethyst a chance."

"Maybe," Echo mused "We'll see. Now, let's get going."

The two continued, after Echo took one last look at the temple before smiling, then continuing his way.

 _Not exactly how I earned the Amethyst heart, but that's for later. Still, later on, you will see how I actually earned that love, became friends with the Crystal Gems, and how I earned their trust. Until then, see you all in the next chapter!_

 **I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, still more to come! Sorry for the delay, it gets harder for me to manage these stories, but I still manage. Thanks for reading, and be sure to review!**


	4. Chapter 4

Steven Universe: Echoes in our Minds

Chapter Three: My Own Master Now

Echo and Amethyst walked down the hallways of the ancient temple of stone, still feeling a cold wind blowing from an ominous source, sending chills up their spines. When they first entered the temple, there were several branching paths, so they decided to split into smaller groups; Garnet and Micheal going down one path, while Steven, Lapis and Arlyn went down another, Diamond and Pearl down the other, while Echo and Amethyst went down the last one.

"Man, these tunnels seem to go on forever!" Amethyst groaned, kicking a stone.

"Try not to complain, will ya?" Echo rolled his eyes "I doubt the other paths are any shorter."

"Whatever you say." Amethyst grunted, before turning to Echo "Speaking of which, have you noticed how serious Diamond looked, ever since we got here?"

"No, I haven't been paying much attention." Echo shrugged "Why do you ask?"

"I'm just sayin', he seemed, I dunno, stressed about something." Amethyst shrugged "There's just something about this place that must be making Big D tick. Like he might freak out or somethin'."

"Now that you mention it, he seemed pretty defensive, when Jasper mentioned these knights in a bad way." Echo recalled "Are the knights really that big of a deal?"

"Are you kidding me?" Amethyst gasped "Of course they are! They're living legends! Legendary warriors that protected Earth, long ago! And now Diamond might be one of them!"

Before Echo could press the matter, there was a voice.

"Greetings, rebels."

Echo drew out his sword and Amethyst summoned her whips, as the two took their stances, vigilant, as they glared at the corner.

"Show yourself." Echo demanded.

After a short moment of silence, a long sword emerged from the side wall, and slashed down the hallway. Amethyst simply jumped over, dodging the blade, while Echo ducked, sliding underneath the blade, the blade barely missing his chin. Suddenly, the blade slashed the floor, causing the two to fall through, exiting into the courtyard.

As the two quickly got to their feet, a mysterious figure stood before them. She was a slender and tall woman, though not as tall as Garnet, she was as slender as Pearl, her outfit was a green, skin-tight body suit, her dark green hair reached down to her hips, her skin a light green color, and her eyes were blank, with no pupils, as she had her bo-staff summoned.

"You..." She hissed, giving Echo a bone chilling glare, with her blank eyes.

"I think you have me at a disadvantage, miss..." Echo joked, somewhat recognizing her.

"I am Jade." The Gem stood straight, fiddling with one end of her staff "One of the superiour intelectual lifeforms of Homeworld." She gave a mean glare at Amethyst "Among others."

"Superiour intelegence, you say?" Amethyst challenged, raising an eyebrow.

"That is correct." Jade nodded "I possess an inteligence, far beyond that of a human being. Even Albert Einstine himself pales in comparison to MY intellect."

"You don't say?" Echo smirked "Alright then. Tell me: What's the meaning of life? Why are we here?"

Instead of an answer, three melting knives were hurled at the two, two of them missed, but Amethyst caught the third by the hilt, with the hilt of her boot.

"I am here to KILL you, rebels." Jade seethed, raising her staff.

"That it?" Amethyst snorted, tossing the knife "Pretty simple thinking for a superior intellegence."

"I possess such, but I am programmed to obey orders, without question." Jade declared, almost no emotion in her voice "To disobey would result in my gemstone being terminated."

"Well that sucks." Echo smirked, taunting her "Why have your own thoughts, when you can't USE them?"

"Your taunting is pointless, human." Jade snarled, putting away her staff "I have orders to eliminate you and I shall do just that. EXTERMINATE!" And with a grunt, she slammed her fists into the ground, and her body was slowly encased in stone, shifting her body into the form a a very large wolf, about the size of a human, its eyes glowing with a mixture of red and green, as it let out a howl, as it prepared to attack.

 _Born_

 _Into a pack_

 _There's no choice_

 _But take orders to attack_

The earth lycan pounced, letting a hungery snarl escape its mouth. Echo and Amethyst jumped to the side, as Echo pulled out his pistol and fired several shots, only for the bullets to bounce off the beasts tough, earth skin.

"Damn!" Echo grunted, quickly reloading his pistol "Well, this is going to be problematic."

 _Locked up in chains_

 _I get fed_

 _But the hunger still remains_

Amethyst cracked her whip, sending several large boulders at the beast, but suddenly, the tail of the beast smashed every thrown boulder, the tail actually being a snake, that let out a deadly hiss.

"Aw come on!" Amethyst groaned, stomping her foot.

 _Not content to live this way_

 _Being led by the blind_

The beast suddenly formed a second face, as it stood up on its hind legs, its front paws now claws, a face of a lion with glowing green and red eyes, as it let out a beastly roar, as it launched itself at Echo. Echo, using Rose Quartz speed, managed to sidestep the chimera, slashing at the beast, but doing little damage. The chimera swung a claw, sending Echo into a pillar.

 _Got to plan my dispersal_

 _Time to leave them all behind_

"Echo!" Amethyst gasped, running to Echo's side.

"Crap!" Echo wiped the dust from his coat "We're really getting our hides kicked."

"What now?" Amethyst asked "That thing is unstoppable!"

"Not entirely." Rose Quartz shrugged, appearing in between them "Perhaps if you let ME give it a whirl."

"You?" Echo frowned "No offense, Rosie, but you're dead."

"Perhaps," Rose grinned "But perhaps if you lend me your body, Echo, I could even the odds."

"How's that gonna work?" Echo raised an eyebrow.

"Simple, like this." Rose vanished, then, to Amethyst's surprise, Echo's form shifted, as a ghostly shell covered him, the shell revealing to be Rose Quartz, as she twirled the sword around expertly "Much better."

 _Breaking out of my pain_

 _Nothing ventured-Nothing gained_

 _I'm my own master now_

"Whoa!" Amethyst gasped "Too cool!"

"Now, for the grand finale." She said, facing the earth chimera "Forgive me, my loyal knight, but I must put you down."

 _Bear the mark of my scars_

 _Shedding blood underneath the stars_

 _But I will survive somehow_

The chimera only howled, as it launched forth, looking to finish the job.

 _Oooooooo_

 _Oooooooo_

 _Hear me howl_

 _Time to leave them all behind_

 _I'm my own master now_

Just as the chimera got close, Rose simply grabbed the chimera by the neck and stabbed it several times in the abdomen and spun the beast in the air, as she began slashing at the beast, cutting off chunks of it in the the process, leaving only Jade's head, with her one arm still attached, lying on the ground, in pain.

"This cannot be..." Jade groaned, her form glitching "Directive...liberate...nation...ensure freedom..." Her form began to slowly crack "Obey directive...must obey directive...no freedom... Freedom...undifined..."

And with her last words, her form poofed into dust, with only her gemstone left in her place, cracked, but still glowing.

"Whoa!" Amethyst whooped with excitement "That was AWESOME! You haven't lost your touch, Rose! Even as a ghost!"

"Thank you, Amethyst." Rose nodded, but frowned as she looked at the gemstone "But it pains my heart, to see one of my best followers, corrupted like this."

"It's something that needs to be done, Rose." Amethyst shrugged "She tried to stop us, so it was her or us."

"Perhaps." Rose sighed, but raised a brow "But what confuses me: why would the Diamond Authority allow their soldiers to keep their own train of thought, if they're not going to let them think for themselves? Let alone put them on the front lines like this?"

"Beats me." Amethyst shrugged "Probably just a field test. If so, then it wasn't the result they were hoping for. Come on! We gotta get back on track!"

Amethyst moved forward, as Roses astral shell disappeared, giving Echo his original shape back, as he sheathed his sword, and picked up Jade's gemstone, gazing at it, reflecting back on Jades last words.

"Freedom, huh?" Echo thought to himself, as he dropped the gem in a small pouch around his belt, sealing it within "What would an alien know about freedom..."

Putting these thoughts aside, he made to catch up with Amethyst, making their way through the temple.

 **Hope you guys are still enjoying the story, and once again, I apologize if they seem rushed. The institute has been keeping me busy, as always, but I will still do my best to upload as soon as I can. Until then, hope you enjoyed the chapter! And be sure to review!**


	5. Chapter 5

Steven Universe: Echoes in our Minds

Chapter Four: Watermelon Echo

After their adventure for the golden dragon statue, the group set sail for home and continue their fun celebrations, as the gang had a fun time. Well, all except for Echo, once they reached Steven's house, remained in his temporary quarters below the deck of the ship, working on his makeshift hoverboard. While Echo is grateful to have completed his end of the deal, after aiding the Gems in finding Lapis, but he was still uncertain as to why he was required to stay for a while longer.

As he pondered in his thoughts, Amethyst approached from behind.

"Hey, babe." Amethyst smirked "What're you doing down here, all by your lonesome?"

"Getting away from the noise." Echo bluntly said "I've been working on this hoverboard for quite some time, and I'm this close to getting it to work."

"Really, dude?" Amethyst frowned "Come on, babe. Join the party, take the load off and enjoy yourself."

"Thanks, but no thanks." Echo refused "I'd rather not be interested in being distracted by any silly distractions."

"Fine, whatever." Amethyst huffed, as she turned to leave "When you're done being boring and wanna have actual fun, feel free to join us." Before leaving, she placed an object, inside a plastic bag, on the table, then left.

"That Gem can act like a child sometimes." Echo rolled his eyes, before turning his attention to the plastic bag. He peered into the bag, to see a piece of watermelon inside. Shrugging, Echo took a bite out of the melon, then spat the seeds into a nearby trashcan, putting the melon back in the bag, before sighing.

"Perhaps I should at least get some fresh air." Echo mused, heading up to the outer deck, stepping onto the beach sand, as he was greeted with the loud sound of music.

Suddenly, he was approached by Amethyst.

"Hey, sweet-thang!" Amethyst grinned "Glad you decided to join us!"

"Decided I could use some fresh air." Echo shrugged "Didn't want to disappoint any party goers."

"A party is _always_ what we need to have a ton of fun!" Amethyst declared, grabbing Echo's hand "Now come on! You're missing all the fun!"

"If you say so." Echo chuckled, following Amethyst to the house.

As the day went on, the party continued to proceed. But little did they notice of the strange occurence, back in Echo's temporary quarters of the ship, as the melon seeds began to magically sprout.

 _The very next day..._

The next day, the crew decided to stay for a few days, to replenish supplies and get things settled in, as Echo, Steven and Amethyst walked through town, just now finishing up, showing Echo the final bits of the town, as they were walking down the street, towards the temple.

"For a 'city', this place sure doesn't have much to offer." Echo bluntly said "It's a pretty small town."

"True, but it's still a great place to be!" Steven declared "I do hope you enjoyed the tour!"

"It was okay, I guess." Echo shrugged "But I don't think I like that 'Lars' character. He kept calling me stupid names."

"Well, personally, I found it pretty funny when you threatened to blow his head off." Amethyst chuckled "The look on his face was too priceless, I thought he was gonna wet himself!"

"Yeah, but I was okay with the rest of the tour." Echo admitted "Some of the people have been very nice to me. Except for Lars and that mayor of yours. He seems very egomaniacal."

"Yeah, he may not seem polite at times." Steven admitted "But he has his good moments."

"And then there's Connie." Echo pointed out "Such a smart girl. The way you two talk to one another, Steven, I would've mistaken her for your girlfriend."

"What?!" Steven sputtered, blushing "No way! Of course not! We're just friends!"

"Sure you are." Echo smirked, thinking otherwise.

As the trio were returning to the temple, they noticed the whole crew was gathered at the dock, which Greg had first built, after the Crystal Gems first met the pirates and confirming that the two factions are now friends, as something was off.

"I wonder what's going on?" Echo said.

"Not sure." Amethyst shrugged "Might as well find out."

The trio made their way to the dock and as they approached the crowd, Arlyn walked up to them, holding a large object in his hand.

"Arlyn?" Echo said "Is something wrong?"

"Honestly? I'm not sure." Arlyn bluntly said, holding up the object "But correct me if I'm wrong. Does this...thing, belong to you?"

Upon closer inspection, it looked like a lifesize watermelon version of Echo, minus the equipment that Echo carries about.

"I'm not sure what you're implying." Echo shrugged "I don't own any melons."

"Really?" Arlyn raised an eyebrow "Then how come one of my men told me about these lifesize melon versions of you, that he found in your temporary quarters, and several more, still magically sprouting? You're telling me they're not yours?"

"Nope." Echo bluntly said "I only took a bite out of the melon that Amethyst gave me. I didn't grow those melons."

"They couldn't have sprouted by themselves." Arlyn stated "Someone must've grown these. Somehow, without water or soil. Must've been magically, somehow."

"By accident, by the looks of it." Diamond declared, as more Echo-shaped-melons were carried off the ship "Are you sure you didn't accidentally grow these, Echo?"

"I hope not." Echo shrugged "Rose, is this the result of another one of your powers?"

"It is." Rose admitted, appearing beside Echo "I had the ability the grow sentient plant life to protect me. But as you just now only discovered this power, the melon sentinals don't appear to be active at all."

"Well, what do we do with all these...Echo-Melons?" Perin asked, having accidentally stepped on one "It'd be a waste to simply throw away all these melons."

"I have an idea!" Steven declared "We could try selling them!"

"Steven, I'm not sure if that's a good idea." Pearl said, worriedly "Remember what happened last time?"

"I'm sure it'll be fine." Steven insisted "Besides, the melon sentinals aren't even alive. Right, Echo?"

"I want nothing to do with it." Echo shooked his head, turning away "This whole Gem business is ya'lls problem, not mine."

"Yes, it is." Garnet said sternly, as she spun Echo back to face her "They were created by _you_ , accident or not, so it's still YOUR responsibility."

"Look, tri-clops, I never asked to be dragged into your mess." Echo sneered "Everything was fine, until you aliens showed up."

"Now listen here, Echo!" Pearl growled "First of all, you don't talk to us like that! If not for us, your planet would've been drained dry of all life, and you'd be dead right now! Second of all, we're NOT aliens! We're intergalactic beings that have sworn to defend this planet, even if it kills us, to ensure humanities freedom!"

"Well, let me clarrify," Echo snarled "First of all, I don't give a rats behind what you call yourselves! You're from outer space, so that clearly states that you ARE, in fact, aliens! And second of all, what would a bunch of aliens like YOU know about freedom?! Of hidden history, or sci-fi movies, where aliens came to conquer Earth and enslave all of humanity, what would YOU know about freedom?!"

Silence fell, as the Gems couldn't think of anything to counter Echo's arguement.

"Exactly." Echo snarled "Of all the years, even you couldn't understand what freedom truly is, where we humans have to struggle with every challenging problem just to survive." He turned away "If anyone needs me, I'll be elsewhere."

As Echo left, the Gems only stood, still struggling about Echo's demands about freedom. As they pondered through these thoughts, Steven left, following Echo.

Later, Echo stood at the high cliffs edge, gazing out at the ocean, as the wind pressed against his face, the waves slamming against the cliff, as he watched.

"Your words were rather harsh, Echo." Rose frowned, appearing beside him "Was that really necessary?"

"Sorry, but it had to be said." Echo declared, still looking out at the ocean "Earth would've been much more peaceful, without all the aliens, trying to enslave humanity."

"It's bound to happen, one way or another." Rose stated "And besides, if not for the Crystal Gems, humanity would have been wiped out and you and I would not be standing here, right now."

"But was the war necessary?" Echo asked, crossing his arms "Couldn't the Diamond Authority consider other options? Maybe talk about things?"

"If only it were that simple." Rose sighed "But once the Diamond Authority has settled on a decision, they see through it to the end. No other Gem has a saying in it."

"But don't they see that it's wrong?" Echo frowned "Draining the life out of a planet, just to expand their numbers? Especially without the habitants consent?"

"The Authority cares little for the planets inhabitants." Rose explained "If I hadn't turned against my own kind and founded the Crystal Gems, no one else would."

"But why do you care?" Echo asked "About us, who mean nothing to you?"

"Because of Greg." Rose declared "Through him, I learned many things about humanity. I knew that they needed someone to safeguard their future." She turned and faced him "And now, through you, Echo, together, we can give humanity hope, just as your father once did."

"My father?" Echo frowned "How does my father fit into this?"

"He was once our champion." Rose explained "He fought for us through the shadows. Unfortunately, he had a...condition, that burdened him, greatly."

"What was wrong with him?" Echo asked.

"After you were born, he had developed a dangerously high level of cancer." Rose said, as several tears fell from her eyes "It was taking a terrible toll on his body, to the point that he could barely think straight. When he died, I left you in the care of your...mother, but..." Rose trailed off, before saying "Well, you know the rest, right?"

"I guess." Echo shrugged, still confused "But what made my dad so special? And why wasn't he around, when I was growing up?"

"You were still young, when your father passed away." Rose explained "I promised him that I wouldn't risk putting you in harms way."

"A little too late." Echo frowned "But that doesn't explain why your spirit is bound to me."

"Even I am unsure." Rose shrugged "Perhaps if you stay with the Crystal Gems, we might find out?"

"Maybe." Echo pondered, still unsure. As much as he wanted to find the truth, he wasn't sure if he could put his trust in the Gems. But he knew that he had no other options, as he sighed. "Fine, but as long as it doesn't require me to stay at the temple, being watched all the time. And I have no intention of being considered a member of their group."

"Thank you, Seth." Rose smiled "I'm sure that your father would be proud."

"ECHO!"

They turned to see Steven, as he ran up to them, out of breath.

"Echo..." Steven breathed hard "Please...don't be...angry...at the Gems..." He said, in between breath.

"Steven, relax." Echo chuckled "I'm not angry. I just needed to blow off some steam, that's all."

"Okay." Steven sighed in relief, regaining his breath "When you yelled at them, I thought you were..."

"Relax, Steven, it's fine." Echo assured "I just needed to clear my head, so don't worry."

"Okay." Steven chuckled nervously "So...can we head back now?"

"Sure." Echo shrugged "In just a little bit. I want to enjoy the view."

 _Meanwhile..._

The Gems and the crew were still hauling the majority of the melon-Echo's off the ship, as Diamond and Pearl piled up several more.

"How many more melons are there?" Pearl sighed, wipping the sweat from her brow.

"Echo did mention he only took one bite." Diamond pointed out.

"Maybe..." Pearl sighed, unsure about something.

"What's wrong?" Diamond asked "Is he going to be a problem for you?"

"It's not Echo that I'm worried about." Pearl admitted "I'm more worried about Jade."

"What about her?" Diamond frowned.

"Diamond, I know that you said she was a friend of yours," Pearl declared "But I'm not sure if she could still be trusted." 

"This again, Pearl?" Diamond rolled his eyes "Pearl, we cannot be treating our allies with suspicion and distrust."

"I know, but I just don't know if you should count on her staying an ally." Pearl stated "She spent a lot more time on Homeworld, ever since the knights downfall. Who knows what the Diamond Authority did to her."

"Pearl, you shouldn't worry so much." Diamond shooked his head.

"And you worry too little." Pearl growled.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Diamond frowned.

"You don't ever take things seriously." Pearl sneered "You never know when someone might betray us."

"And you need to loosen up." Diamond sneered back "We can't always stand alone. There will always be enemies that may get the better of us. Besides, there's strength in numbers."

"But I wouldn't count on them staying allies. Because when their backs are against the wall, they'll abandon us." Pearl declared "Picture this: You're up against a bear and if your only option is to sick your dog on it and run, you'll do it. As much as you love your dog, it's life or death."

"I understand your concern." Diamond admitted "But trust me; Jade is as loyal as any soldier. And we need loyal soldiers, in order to win a war. Can I trust you to at least try having some faith in her? For me?"

"I believe you, dear." Pearl smiled "You say 'jump', I say 'how high'. You say to kiss a human, I'll ask which cheek."

"I don't think kissing humans will be necessary." Diamond chuckled "Except for me, of course."

"Of course, dear." Pearl smirked, kissing Diamonds cheek "But you never know, dear."

As they finished hauling out the last of the melon-Echoes, they decided to take a break from the hard work.

"Dang, that was a lot of melons." Micheal declared, wipping the sweat off his forehead "How many are there, exactly?"

"Perhaps over nine-thousand." Garnet said bluntly, sitting cross-legged, getting an awkard glance from the others "That was a joke. I doubt it's THAT many."

"I hope not." Amethyst groaned, laying flat on her back "I don't think I can carry anymore."

As they rested, Steven and Echo returned.

"Echo, Steven." Diamond smiled, as the two approached "You're back. Is everything okay?"

"I guess." Echo shrugged "Look, I'm sorry about what I said earlier."

"It's alright, friend." Diamond nodded "Everyone has been under a lot of pressure. Trust me, we've all been there. Right, guys?"

"Of course." Garnet nodded.

"Yeah, sometimes." Amethyst shrugged.

"True." Pearl nodded.

"So don't worry too much about it, Echo." Diamond assured "We all make mistakes, but we learn from them. Just live and learn, understand?"

"Yeah." Echo nodded "I understand."

"Well, now that's out of the way, we need to figure out what to do about these melons." Micheal pointed out, gesturing to the melon-Echoes "Any ideas?"

"Can I still sell them?" Steven suggested, looking up at Garnet, with a puppy dog face.

"Can't say 'no' to that face." Garnet smiled.

"I'd better stick with him, in case something happens." Micheal declared "Echo?"

"I know." Echo grunted "But I'd better get a cut in the profits. Income is bad enough as it is."

"All right!" Steven cheered "Let's get to it!"

 _Soon..._

With Micheal and Echo's help, Steven managed to get the watermelon stand set up, standing up the melon-Echoes around the stand, as Steven was wearing what looked like a farmers outfit.

"Alright!" Steven declared "The rare melon selling stand is open for business!"

"Steven, why are you dressed like a farmer?" Echo asked.

"I don't know, but it feels like it fits." Steven shrugs "Now, we just wait for our first customer!"

After several hours of waiting, their first customer arrived, who bought several melons, and several more showed up, purchasing several melons. After time has passed, the stand was empty of all but one melon, which was just a few inches shorter than Echo.

"Looks like we made quite the profit." Micheal smirked, counting the money, as he wistled "Wonder what's next?"

"We decide what to do with this melon." Echo pointed out.

"I'll call it 'Lil' Melon." Steven declared "It fits perfectly!"

"Sometimes, I think there's something wrong with your way of thinking, Steven." Echo sighed.

Suddenly, Onion crawled out from under the table, much to Echo's shock.

"Uh, Steven?" Echo asked "Who's this weird kid, that has no ears?"

"Him? That's Onion." Steven declared, waving to him "He's a friend of mine. Right, Onion?"

Onion only nodded.

"What's wrong with him?" Echo asked "Cat got his tongue?"

"Can't you tell he's probably mute?" Micheal deadpanned.

"No, Onion just doesn't talk much." Steven shrugged, before turning to Onion "So, what's up, Onion?"

Onion pointed, but not to something specific.

"You want some money, to buy some candy, kid?" Micheal suggested.

Onion shooked his head, then pointed at 'Lil' Melon'.

"Sorry, kid." Echo leaned back in his chair "That's just a prop, so it's not for sale."

"When did you start caring?" Micheal raised an eyebrow.

"I don't." Echo glared at Micheal "I'm just following the rules of a businessman."

"Uh, guys?" Steven raised a hand "We have a problem."

They looked and saw that Onion was running off with Lil' Melon, while they were distracted.

"Are you serious?" Micheal groaned.

As Onion ran around the corner, he stopped when Micheal blocked his path.

"It's not nice to steal, kid." He growled, as Echo and Steven arrived.

But as they arrived, the Lil' Melon hopped out of Onions arms, while Onion took off running.

"Well, that wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be." Echo shrugged.

"Yeah. He didn't run off with Lil' Melon!" Steven declared, taking a look at Lil' Melon, who had just simply raised a melon arm, causing Steven to scream loudly "Why is that still so surprising, when it shouldn't be?!"

"I'm not surprised at all." Echo shrugged "I just find this to be rather creepy."

"Doesn't this mean that the other melons might be alive as well?" Micheal pointed out.

"We should probably find out." Steven declared "The people might be in trouble, if it's true."

"I think I have a way." Echo smirked, as his hand began to glow, and within seconds, the watermelon-Echoes returned, a massive group of melons standing before the trio.

"Well, that's one way to get the melons attention." Micheal shrugged, patting Echo's shoulder "Nice work."

The melon-Echoes, however, hissed, as soon as Micheal touched Echo's shoulder, causing him to flinch.

"What's their problem?" Micheal raised an eyebrow, backing away from Echo.

"This was kinda what happened last time." Steven gulped "When I summoned them to life, they may seem harmless, but get aggressive, when they see a potential threat towards me."

 _Back at the house..._

The Gems, plus Arlyn and Perin, sat on the couch, discussing several things.

"So, now that we've found Lapis and dealt with Jasper, we should focus on searching for Peridot." Pearl suggested "Who knows what she could be up to now."

"She ain't that big of a problem." Arlyn shrugged "She's like all them nerds, nothing but talk. They ain't so tough."

"There's a high chance that she could try to contact forces on Homeworld for help." Garnet stated sternly "She can be a much worse threat, if that happens."

"Then my boys will keep an eye out and deal with her." Arlyn shrugged "Honestly, you guys are making a big deal out of the smallest of things."

"Why aren't you taking this seriously, Arlyn?" Diamond frowned "Or did I not knock enough sense into that thick head of yours?"

"Don't start that again." Arlyn frowned "It's a matter of some concern, but I doubt Peridot could do much harm."

"I'm kinda lost here, guys." Perin said bluntly "Mind giving me the details?" 

"Peridot could pose a threat, if left unchecked." Pearl declared, ignoring Perin's question "Who knows what she could do."

As they continued to argue, there was a knock at the door, as Micheal, Echo, Steven and Lil' Melon entered, all but Echo and the melon having awkward looks on their faces.

"Guys?" Steven said, nervously "We might have a problem."

The group walked out onto the porch, to see an army of Melon-Echoes, on the beach and gazing at the group. 

"Echo?" Diamond said, placing a hand on Echo's shoulder "You and Steven should-"

The Melon-Echoes hissed, not liking to see Echo being touched.

"Diamond?" Echo mumbled.

"GET BACK!" Diamond quickly yelled, shoving Echo and Steven into the house, as the Gems leaped into a fight, Diamond and Garnet taking the lead, followed by Pearl, Amethyst, Lapis and Jade, as the Melon-Echoes went offensive.

The Gems were doing well at first, but the Melon-Echoes numbers were far too great, dispite the Gems best experience, as they were slowly, one by one, as the Melon-Echoes slowly got the better of them.

Echo and Steven stepped back outside, to see the Gems being overpowered by the Melon-Echoes massive numbers.

"This is bad!" Steven paniced "The Gems are being overpowered!"

"They won't listen to me!" Echo gulped "I can't make them stop!"

As they struggled to figure out what to do, Lil' Melon placed a melon-hand on Echo's shoulder, nodding. Echo nodded solemnly, then spread his arms out.

"Do it, Lil' Melon." Echo nodded "It's the only way."

Lil' Melon nodded, then to Steven's shock, and Micheal and Arlyn and Perin's surprise, he punched Echo in the stomach, sending him flying into the sand. The Melon-Echo's halted their assault on the Gems, then turned their attention to Lil' Melon, as they all at once leaped onto him, Lil' Melon simply accepting its fate, as it is reduced to nothing but a pile of melon bits.

Echo recovered, then stood at what was left of Lil' Melon, then turned to the Melon-Echoes in anger.

"Look at what you have done!" Echo yelled, his eyes glowing a bright pink, unbeknowst to him "Look at what your blind aggression has done! Only Lil' Melon understood the meaning of loyalty and did what was needed to stop such violence!" He points towards the ocean "Now LEAVE! And NEVER return until you understand the meaning of true loyalty!"

The Melon-Echoes stood for a while, before simply obeying the order, as they marched outwards into the ocean, until they vanish into the farthest view.

"Where do you think they're going?" Micheal asked.

"Not sure." Echo shrugged, turning back to the house "But I honestly don't care."

Gems simply watched, along with their human companions, as the sun began to set.

 **Sorry, once again, if this chapter seems rushed. I was in to much of a hurry to get this chapter posted and I apologize for it. I've been so busy with school, I barely have time to work on these fan fictions on my free time. But I promise you that these chapters will be better, from here on out. Hope you guys are still enjoying the stories and hope you guys will continue to show support. Thanks and be sure to review!**


	6. Chapter 6

Steven Universe: Echoes in our Minds

Chapter Five: Cheap Shot

Echo walked through the canyon, inspecting the injectors, seeing no signs of them being reactivated anytime soon. Now that he was done aiding the Crystal Gems finding Lapis Lazuli, he was free to go about to do as he pleased. As he walked, however, he felt a strange feeling, as if he missed being around Amethyst, as it ate at his heart.

"Why do I miss being around Amethyst now?" Echo groaned, leaning against the wall "Why do I feel this way?"

"Perhaps it's because you miss her?" Rose smiled, appearing beside him.

"Maybe..." Echo frowned, looking from one side of the Kindergarten to the other "Is this where she was really made?"

"Yes." Rose nodded, sadly "She was a special sort of Gem. But she had little friends to be with. After the war, I brought her to the Crystal Gems, and made her one of us."

"I see." Echo nodded, as he continued his walk "But this place needs to go."

"I understand." Rose nodded, before getting serious "But I sense that we're not alone."

Echo peeked around the corner, seeing a familiar looking green Gem, standing about, fiddling with her holopad.

"Latest update on the Cluster." She muttered to herself aloud, completely oblivious of Echo's presence "Unfortunatly, the Cluster has been destroyed. Luckily, we have another test subject, currently in hydrokinetic sleep, until she properly learns to follow orders."

"Who is that?" Echo whispered.

"That would be Peridot." Rose explained "She is one of Yellow Diamonds many followers. She must be here to reactivate the Kindergarten."

"Who's Yellow Diamond?" Echo asked "And why would she want to reactivate this mad house?"

"To create more Gems, of course." Rose clarified "And Yellow Diamond, as I told you before, is member of the Diamond Authority and one of the rulers of Homeworld. Weren't you paying attention when I first explained this?"

"Sorta." Echo shrugged "But whatever she's up to can't be good."

While Peridot stood there, completely unaware of company, Echo walked as silently as he could, but just as fast, until he was right behind her. He watched as she simply returned her holopad into a hand again, she simply stood there, frustrated now.

"Ugh! This is the worst!" She growled, still unaware of Echo's presence "With the Homeworld warp still down, I can't get off this lousy planet!"

"Is that really so bad?" Echo joked, staying silent long enough "It's not so bad, once you get used to it."

"What?" Peridot gasped, as she spun around, now facing Echo, with his black and red kabuki mask on, as her eyes widened in surprise "YOU!?"

"Yeah, me." Echo smirked, but then frowned "Wait, what about me?"

Instead of answering, Peridot turned in the oppisite direction and ran as fast as she could, not daring to look back.

"Charming." Rose chuckled, without even appearing.

As Peridot ran, Echo vanished, then reappeared right in front of her, causing her to slam right into him, and tumble back on her back, as Echo didn't even budge. He grabbed her by the collar and held her, off her feet, against the wall, Peridot clearly showing fear.

"What do you want, you clod?!" Peridot demanded, though had much fear in her voice.

"It was not wise to run." Echo joked, before getting serious "Now, why are YOU here? What're you up to?"

"That's none of your business!" Peridot snarled "I'm not telling you a thing!"

"Is that so?" Echo smirked, cocking his head back "Well, maybe THIS might loosen your tongue."

"What're you-" Peridot began, before Echo delivering her a very painful headbutt. It didn't crack her gemstone, but it did send a painful surge through her body.

"Ready to talk?" Echo smirked, cocking his head back again, readying another headbutt "Maybe I should do it again?"

"No! Stop!" Peridot begged, clutching her gemstone in fear "No more! Please, I'll tell you everything!"

"That's better." Echo chuckled, before getting serious "Now, why are you here?"

"Just to check on the progression of the Cluster." Peridot declared, trying to keep calm "It seems to be gone, but we have another test subject, with much better results than the Cluster."

"What is this 'test subject', exactly?" Echo asked, curious.

"Just one of our latest projects to get better results." Peridot shrugged "She's currently in hydrokinetic sleep, and two Gems are required to wake her up."

"Is that so?" Echo smirked "Come with me then, and I might consider letting you live."

"What? No, you don't understand!" Peridot paniced "She's only a prototype, very unstable! She won't follow orders, all she cares about is destroying everything in sight! And besides, despite her strength and potential, she's insane!"

"Is that so?" Echo frowned "I try to be nice and this is how you repay me? Your race clearly have no manners."

"Nice?!" Peridot sneered "You hold me hostage and you dare to threaten me?! You're nowhere even close to 'nice'!"

"Really?" Echo raised an eyebrow "Well, maybe I should take you for a little trip to the temple and see what the Crystal Gems think. They'd be _thrilled_ to see you again." (Sarcasm on thrilled)

"What?" Peridot gasped "The Crystal Gems? You're in league with them?!"

"I didn't say that." Echo shook his head "But they are friends of mine. Especially the small purple one. Amethyst, if I remember correctly, the puma. She was a real wild cat, especially with me, behind closed doors, that is." He chuckled at the thought.

"What're you talking about?" Peridot asked, confused.

"It doesn't matter." Echo declared "I'm not really a full member. I'm more of a solo guy, I work alone." Echo suddenly frowned "Now, back to the topic at hand. Sorry to say it, but that 'test subject' of yours is gonna be put to much better use."

"Did you not hear a word I said?!" Peridot snarled "I said that you're not taking a step near her chamber in the lab, underneath this place!"

"Oh really?" Echo smirked "And who's gonna stop me?"

"HEY, RUNT!"

Echo turned his head to see none other than Jasper, standing next to one of the deactivated injectors, crash helmet at the ready.

"Jasper, right?" Echo simply said, showing no fear this time.

"Surprised to see me, punk?" Jasper smirked.

"Hardly." Echo shrugged "Last time I saw you, Diamond sent you flat on your rear and left you on that island."

"Did you honestly think that some puny island can hold me, runt?" Jasper smirked.

"No, I was hoping you would learn your lesson, after Diamond kicked your tail." Echo shrugged.

"Shut up!" Jasper snarled "You got lucky once, but Diamond and his traitorous pals aren't here to save you this time!"

"Hmph! Don't be too sure." Echo sneered "I'll have you know that I can easily dispatch you in a second, if I wanted to."

"You didn't seem so tough last time we met." Jasper smirked.

"That was just a ruse." Echo shrugged, releasing Peridot "I'm not afraid of an overjocked bully, such as yourself."

"Tough guy, are we?" Jasper smirked, cracking her knuckles "Well, let's what you've got then, runt."

"Jasper, wait!" Peridot called, jumping in front of her "We don't have time to waste on this clod!"

"And why not, nerd?" Jasper sneered, her eyes still locked on Echo "This punk wants a fight, I'll be more than happy to give him one!"

"I have a better idea." Peridot slyly smirked, inputting several commands on her holopad "Let's see how well he can tangle with _this_."

"What're you up to-" Echo stopped, midsentence, as the ground began to shake, as a massive robot emerged from the ground. The machince was as big as a massive T-Rex, with a massive tail-blade, razor teeth and rocket launcher arms and several machine guns attached to the sides of its body, as it roared, its glowing red eyes focused on Echo.

"Nice toy." Echo shrugged, somehow showing no fear "Too bad it won't help you."

"We'll see how confident you are, when our PET crushes you, like the little clod you are!" Peridot smirked, before turning to Jasper "Let's go! We're done here, anyway!"

"Fine." Jasper frowned, before turning to Echo "This isn't over, runt. Next time we meet, I'll crush you!"

 _The time has come to an end_

 _Yeah – this is what nature planned_

As the two left, Echo faced the giant machine, as it released a roar, as Echo drew out his sword, preparing a fighting stance. The Mecha-Rex opened its massive jaws and fired several missiles, as Echo took a running start, deflecting the missiles with his blade, as he proceeded to chop off one of the rocket launchers on the Mecha-Rex's left leg. Using Rose's speed, he kept deflecting missile after missile, and cutting off other missile launchers on the Mecha-Rex's legs, until the machine hopped back some distance, as it prepared a massive plasma cannon.

 _Being tracked by a starving beast_

 _Looking for its daily feast_

 _A predator on the verge of death_

 _Close to its last breath_

 _Getting close to its last breath_

As it fired, Echo shifted out of the way, as the machine prepared a massive heat blade attached to its arm, swinging it down on Echo, who easily blocked it with his own blade, using Rose's strength to then lift it up and hurl it into the air.

 _(Rules of Nature)_

 _And they run when the sun comes up_

 _With their lives on the line_

 _(Alive)_

 _For a while_

 _(No choice)_

 _Gotta follow the laws of the wild_

 _(Alive)_

 _With their lives on the line_

 _(No choice)_

Echo then leaped onto the Mecha-Rex's blade an proceeded to run across the blade, cutting it up into peices as he went, then leaped into the air and easily sliced its blade arm clean off.

 _Out here only the strong survive_

As the Mecha-Rex crashed into the ground, Echo gracefully landed on his feet, on the ground, as he simply sheathed his sword, his back facing what remains of the Mecha-Rex.

"Well done, Echo." Rose smiled, appearing beside him "Wonderful! But we're not done yet."

"Right." Echo nodded "We go after Jasper and Peridot now."

He turned and went in the direction his targets went, as he went deeper into the canyon, as he finally gained sight of Peridot and Jaasper, as the two made a run for it, as soon as they spotted him.

"There they go!" Rose declared "Quick! After them!"

"What do you think I'm doin', woman?" Echo grunted, as he gave chase.

Using his new supernatural speed to keep chase, Echo came close to catching his targets, but the Mecha-Rex landed in front of him, blocking his path. Making a final attempt to destroy its target, the Mecha-Rex fired many missiles at Echo, but using his new speed and agility, Echo ran along the volley of missile, jumping from one missile to another, and as soon as he got close, he chopped off the Mecha-Rex's remaining arm, before the Rex lunged at him with its jaws, but Echo managed to stab it in the head, before being hurled at one of the injectors, attached high on the cliff of the canyon.

 _What's done is done_

 _Survived to see another day_

 _The dance of life_

 _The hunter and the agile prey_

 _No guarantee_

 _Of which of them will succeed_

 _Strong or weak_

Using his speed, Echo ran down along the wall of the canyon, towards the Rex, as the machine made one last attempt to destroy him, firing its missiles and plasma cannon at him, as he ran ran the canyon wall, before landing on top of the Rex, grabbing his sword, and sliced the machine clean in half, before landing on the ground with grace.

 _Rules of Nature_

 _Rules of Nature_

Sheathing his sword, Echo returned to persue the two Homeworld Gems, as he caught a glimpse of the two, stopped close to an overhead train tracks. As he was halfway closing in on them, Jasper grabbed Peridot and jumped high in the air, and as a train was passing by, landed on one of the train cars.

"Damnit!" Echo sneered, as the final train car passed, he skid to the left, and using his new agility to jump onto the final car.

Running along the cars, Echo managed to catch sight of the two, close to the first car, but ignored them, temporarily, as he ran ahead of the train, on the tracks.

"Time for ya'lls stop!" Echo yelled, drawing out his sword, and cutting up the tracks, causing the train to fall, crashing into the ground.

As Echo gracefully landed on the ground, he observed the train wreckage. A large peice of the wreckage was suddenly tossed to the side, as Jasper and Peridot crawled out of the wreckage.

"Unbelievable!" Peridot groaned, getting to her feet "That clod just won't give up!"

"That's because I never learned how." Echo snorted, gaining the two's attention "Why don't you two just make it easier on yourselves and give up?"

"Never!" Jasper yelled, summoning her crash helmet "I'll never surrender to a mear human like you!"

"Guess you still need to be taught a lesson." Echo shrugged, drawing his sword "So be it."

"What's the meaning of all this racket?!"

Both Jasper and Peridot froze with fear, Echo was just confused, as they looked to see a familiar figure emerge from the shadows. She was tall, having a slender figure and dove yellow skin. Her yellow-colored hair is styled into what appears to be a bob-cut with two spiked tips. She also seems to have a pointed, upturned nose and plump lips. Her shoulders are large and pointed. Yellow Diamond wears a black and olive outfit very similar to Garnet's bodysuit.

"Oh crud," Jasper mumbled under her breath "Yellow Diamond..."

"She's here," Peridot gulped nervously with fear "Oh no."

Echo just stood there, silent, as he watch, with a confused expression on his face.

"Hey, Rose?" He silently whispered, as Rose appeared beside him "Is that one of the head honcho's you were talking about?"

"If you mean one of the Diamond Authority and rulers of Homeworld, then yes." Rose nodded "She is one of the most feared of the Diamonds of them all, and the strongest."

"She's that strong?" Echo silently gasped "Crud. What kind of Gem is she?"

"The only one that doesn't tolerate failure." Rose frowned "She is truely a Gem to be feared."

"A simple errand is all I ask." Yellow Diamond growled, as she approached her two cohorts, menacingly "And yet, for three weeks, you two FOOLS can't even do THAT right!"

"Madam, please!" Peridot pleaded, falling to her knees "It's not our fault!"

"Yeah, we had some complications!" Jasper gulped.

"Is that so?" Yellow Diamond sneered "Well, if you two CLODS have a reason for such a delay, AND for such a mess, it had best be a GOOD one!"

Peridot slowly raised a finger, pointing towards Echo.

"It's...him." She mumbled.

Yellow Diamond raised an eyebrow, as she shifted her gaze at Echo, glaring at him with great interest.

"Him?" She snarled, not taking her eyes off of Echo "You're telling me that your mission has been delayed, by a... HUMAN?!"

"He's no ordinary human, ma'am!" Jasper retorted "He destroyed our war machine, without even breaking a sweat!"

"And he's allied with the Crystal Gems!" Peridot added.

"Is that so?" Yellow Diamond mused "And what are you called, human?"

"Huh?" Echo snorted, raising an eyebrow "Are you talking to me, lady?"

"Of course I am." Yellow Diamond rolled her eyes "Now state your name."

"Call me Echo." Echo smirked.

"Echo, you say?" Yellow Diamond raised an eyebrow "Is that so?"

"Yeah, why?" Echo asked.

"No reason." She shrugged, before turning to Peridot and Jasper "You two honestly believe he is as strong as you claim him to be?"

"That Peridot claims him to be." Jasper corrected "I still think I can crush him!"

"Don't be foolish, Jasper." Yellow Diamond glared at her "From what I've heard, humans are capable of much more than we can possibly imagine. If what Peridot claims is true, than this 'human' is no laughing matter."

"I'll pretend to take that as a compliment, lady." Echo rolled his eyes "Now, are you gonna leave quietly, or am I gonna have to make you leave?"

"Don't push your luck, boy." Yellow Diamond glared at him "Though Peridot may claim you are, indeed, strong, that doesn't mean you are strong enough to match MY unparallel abilities."

"Wanna bet?" Echo smirked, as he donned his mask "Why not find out? Unless you're afraid?"

"Echo, please." Rose quietly pleaded "Yes, your strength is indeed incredible, but you're still no match for a member of the Diamond Authority."

"Want a challenge, do you?" Yellow Diamond grinned, raising a hand to her gemstone, which was positioned on her chest "Well, hopefully, you're a much greater challenge than the ones before you."

"Madam, we don't have to waste time on this clod." Peridot insisted "I already have the report on the test subjects, we can just leave."

"Peridot, are you honestly showing sympathy for this human?" Yellow Diamond glared at her "Or do you honestly think I would lose to this child?"

"No, madam, of course not!" Peridot gaped "It's just-"

"Then SILENCE!" Yellow Diamond commanded, prompting Peridot to be quiet "For I would like to test this boys capabilities." 

"Well, bring it on then!" Echo yelled, holding his sword in an impressive fighting stance "I'd like to make this quick!"

"Indeed." Yellow Diamond smirked, as she pulled her weapon from her gemstone. It was an excalibur sword, with a rare ten-inch long blade, with a golden handle, with a copy of her gemstone planted on the but of the handle, and she took her own stance "It's been a while, since anyone ever actually challenged me."

As the two stood in their perspective stances, they shared a long, intense stare towards each, before charging at each other, as Echo swung first, as Yellow Diamond easily blocked the strike with her own blade, and an epic clash between blades ensued, both somehow equally matched, as the two came to a clash, Yellow Diamond somehow liking what she was seeing.

"Self-taught and not half-bad," She smirked, but frowned "Still, your technique seems to be... lacking something."

"Like you can say anything!" Echo growled "You're pretty sloppy, from what I'm seeing!"

"Is that so?" Yellow Diamond smirked "Then perhaps you weren't paying attention?"

The two clashed blades again, this time, Echo putting more force behind his swings, but with Yellow Diamond just toying with him, simply swinging her sword, randomly, waiting to find an opening, as the two came to another clash, as Yellow Diamond grinned mischieviously.

"I see." She smirked "You deny your weapon its _purpose_."

Echo's eyes widened, upon hearing those words, and upon doing so, failed to notice he let his gaurd down, as Yellow Diamond pushed, then swung her blade upward at him, and Echo barely dodged it, but not before the sword manage to cut through the mask, leaving behind a massive scar on the left of his face, and messing up his left eye.

Echo did several flips, backing up and getting some distance between him and his opponent, before pressing his hand over the left side of his face, as blood dripped from his destroyed eye, breathing heavy, as he gazed at Yellow Diamond, who wiped the blood from her blade.

"It yearns to bathe in the blood of your enemies," She smirked, twirling her sword a bit "But you hold it back."

"No," Echo snarled, his broken mask falling to the ground, as Yellow Diamond looked at him with curiosity, as Echo pointed his blade at her "My blade is a tool for justice!"

"Well," Yellow Diamond frowned "How disappointing."

To Echo's surprise, Yellow Diamonds blade caught fire, as she charged at him. Blades clashed once again, as the two came to a sudden pause, as she halted her assault. As Echo took a running start at her, time seemed to slow down a bit, and as Echo drew near, Yellow Diamond smirked, then with speed, swung her blade, and sliced Echo's left arm clean off, throwing him back.

"AAAUGH!" Echo screamed in pain, as he flew back, struggling to keep on his feet, with blood pouring out of his arm.

"How sad." Yellow Diamond shooked her head "I expected better of you, boy."

Dispite Echo trying to keep his balance, Yellow Diamond delivered a kick to his midsection, sending him to the ground, as the sword fell from his grasp. Using his only arm to crawl to where his sword had fallen, only for Yellow Diamond to step on his hand, crushing it under her boot.

"This is what happens, when you bring a _tool_ to a swordfight." Yellow Diamond frowned, raising her blade over her head "It's over."

But instead, she halted, and looked off in the distance, hearing a car horn, before looking at Echo, with a grin on her face.

"Lucky devil." She whispered.

Suddenly, Micheal appeared, riding his motorcycle, diving towards them, as he pulled out a machine gun and started firing at Yellow Diamond, who simply backed away, blocking several bullets with her blade, as Micheal skid to a stop, in front of Echo.

"Kept ya waitin', eh?" Micheal joked, turning off and dismounting his motorcycle, facing Yellow Diamond and her two minions, serious "And what do we have here? A couple of misfits, lookin' fer trouble?"

"Micheal Andreas." Yellow Diamond grinned, clicking her tongue "It's been a while, since we last met, Mr. Andreas. Espesially after you turned on us. Remember?"

"How can I forget, Ole' Yeller." Micheal shrugged "And besides, you can't blame me for following my instincts, can ya? I did what needed to be done."

"Which was what, exactly?" Yellow Diamond frowned "Asides compromising everything the Diamond Authority had built?"

"What I did was spare the rest of humanity the same fate of those that died in Lisbon." Micheal growled "You told me that I was doing humanity a favor, to protect it. But you're as typical as every other tyrant! All you care about is yourself!"

"This is the thanks I get, Andreas?" Yellow Diamond sneered "When I first met you, you were just some random, drunken has-been soldier, drinking away depression, until I pulled you out of the bar. I was the one who relit your fire, made you powerful! I gave you EVERYTHING, and this is the thanks I get?!"

"You left out the part where you let my WIFE die!" Micheal snarled "You never cared about me or my problems! You used me, as some tool to be tossed aside later! You're nothing but a pretender!"

"Stubborn as always, Micheal." Yellow Diamond shooked her head "No matter. I can always find another to do what you never had the guts to do."

"I have enough guts to take you out!" Micheal yelled, pointing his gun at her "You're not taking anymore innocent lives, ya hear me!"

Suddenly, the Universe van skid to a stop, right beside Micheal's motorcycle, and the Crystal Gems hoped out, in Echo's defense, with Amethyst running to his side, worried.

"And what's this?" Yellow Diamond scoffed "Some more rebels, looking for trouble?"

"These are the traitors that Peridot told me about, your majesty!" Jasper growled "These punks have been nothing but trouble!"

"You're the ones that are nothing but evil!" Pearl shouted back "This planet is under OUR protection!"

"Yeah!" Amethyst nodded "And you're gonna regret hurting my babe!"

"Babe?" Yellow Diamond raised an eyebrow "I didn't realize that flawed specimens had feelings."

"Enough!" Garnet shouted, stirnly "Leave this planet and never return! Or you will face worse pain!"

"We were just about to leave, actually." Yellow Diamond shrugged "But this isn't over. All of you rebels will get what's coming to you, soon." She turned to her cohorts "Jasper! Peridot! Time to go."

"Yes ma'am!" Jasper nodded.

"Of course!" Peridot agreed.

As the three teleported away, Echo clenched his fist in anger, knowing he couldn't beat his opponent, without the Crystal Gems intervention.

"Damnit..." Echo groaned, as his eyes grew heavy "I wasn't... strong enough..."

"Babe!" Amethyst gasped, grabbing his arm "Hang in there! You're gonna be okay!"

"Not enough..." Echo groaned, before losing conciousness.

"We need to get him to the temple!" Diamond declared, hoisting Echo over his shoulder "Or a hospital, whichever one helps!"

"Definately a hospital!" Steven declared "Maybe Connie's mom can help! She's a doctor!"

"I hope you're right, Steven!" Amethyst frowned, worried "Cause I do NOT want to lose my only possible boyfriend like this!"

As the retreated into the van, heading to the hospital, Amethyst couldn't help but worry about Echo.

"You have to pull through, babe." She thought to herself "You have to!"

 **Thanks for ya'lls patience, this took longer than I thought! Sorry it took so long, but like I said, I've just been busy with school, almost every week, but I do make time. Still, thanks for reading and stay tuned for more chapters! And be sure to review!**


	7. Chapter 7

Steven Universe: Evhoes In Our Minds

Chapter Six: Back In The Saddle

At the Beach City hospital, Pearl, Amethyst, Garnet, Diamond, Micheal, Connie and Steven waited in the hallway, anxiously waiting for word on Echo's condition, as Connie's mother, Dr. Maheswaran, stepped out of the room, holding a clipboard.

"Well, I have your friends results." The doctor declared, with a frown "But I'm afraid that it's nothing good."

"Mom?" Connie whimpered "Is he going to be okay?"

"I'm afraid that he'll be in a comatose state for quite some time." The doctor explained "He's also lost a very large amount of blood, and his pulse is very weak. I'm afraid that without some miracle, he might not make it."

"But he's gotta make it, Doc!" Amethyst yelled "Can't you do something?!"

"Look, I'm trying everything I can, but your friend is in terrible shape." The doctor countered "Not to mention he's lost his arm as well. It can be fixed with an amputee or two, but without an expert in that kind of field..."

"But there's GOT to be a way!" Amethyst frowned "There's just gotta!"

"Actually, I might be of help."

They all turned to see Perin, Arlyn and Lapis, approach, as they joined in.

"What're you guys doing here?" Pearl asked "I thought you guys might be busy?"

"Yeah, but then we got an emergancy call from Greg." Arlyn declared "Said that our masked crusader is badly hurt and needs medical help."

"But why are you here?" Micheal raised an eyebrow "Being pirates, I'd think you disliked technology."

"We may be scourges of the seas, but we're not cavemen." Perin shrugged "Before I joined up with Arlyn's crew, I got a masters degree in medical and technology science. I believe that with some tech, and a bit of luck, Echo will be back on his feet, before you know it."

"But why would you join with a bunch of pirates?" Garnet asked "Why not find work in a hospital?"

"Because my skills were better put to use, by helping those who can't afford expensive medical help." Perin declared "If they can pay, great. If not, I help anyway."

"That doesn't make any sense." Pearl frowned, rather suspiscious of Perin.

"Look, you don't really have much options." Arlyn shrugged "Now do you guys want help or no?"

Silence ensued, before Amethyst spoke up.

"I say it's worth a shot." She declared.

"Yeah." Steven nodded "Echo needs that help."

"Can't say no to free treatment." Garnet shrugged "It's worth a try."

"Can't argue with ya there," Micheal agreed.

"I'm still not sure it's a good idea." Pearl frowned, before sighing "But it's worth it."

"Thank you, all of you." Perin smiled "I promise, you won't regret it."

And so, for the past six months, with the occurence of some chaotic events, Echo's rcovery has been slow, but he was certainly reaching full health. After some shocking events, Echo's arm was reatched, with the exception of his arm being amputated, and his eye being rebuilt into a synthetic eye, and by the end of the seventh month, Echo was released from the hospital, having fully recovered. But the Gems wanted to make sure that he's back on his feet, they decided to take him for a trail run.

Later, in a far off plain, filled with tall standing trees, with many paths, as the warp pad lit up, and the Gems, minus Garnet, alongside Steven, Connie, Micheal, Arlyn and the new and improved Echo, appeared, stepping onto the grassy ground, observing their surroundings.

"Looks clear to me." Amethyst shrugged "No sign of any trouble."

"Try to take this seriously, Amethyst." Pearl said, sternly "You never know where danger could be lurking."

"And besides, we need to give Echo that trail run." Diamond added "And this place would be perfect, to make sure he's in top condition."

"As long we get done quickly," Micheal rubbed the back of his neck "Garnet gets a bit...cranky, surprisingly, given her condition."

"I still can't believe you pulled it off!" Arlyn chuckled "Earning the love of a fusion seemed impossible!"

"I'm still not sure what happened." Micheal admitted "But, what's done is done."

"And after what you guys have been through, I'd say you earned her affections." Diamond smiled "You weren't the first, but you may as well be the last."

"I'm not sure I follow, bud." Micheal frowned.

"You see, this friend of mine, Jamie the mailman, had a crush on Garnet." Steven explained "But Garnet wasn't really interested because, well, she's a fusion. So, we tried to help her let Jamie down easy, considering he's had bad luck with women in the past."

"Sounds like the poor pard's had it rough." Micheal whistled sharply "What happened next?"

"Well, after a misunderstanding, Jamie was heartbroken." Connie explained "But then, Garnet helped him back into high spirits and he's happy, and they agreed to just be friends."

"I see." Micheal mused "Quite the lesson fer Jamie, huh?"

"Yeah, but at least he's happy." Steven declared "He's even following his dream of becoming an actor!"

"Really? Well, I look forward to seeing him on the big screen." Micheal smiled.

"Can we focus on the task at hand please?" Echo spoke up, tired of waiting "I'd like to get this done and over with, if you don't mind."

"Right." Diamond chuckled "Let's move, and keep your eyes open."

The group moved deeper into the forest, seeing more trees as they went deeper, as Echo heard a rustling noise from the bushes.

"I heard that!" Echo growled, drawing out his sword and readying his stance.

"I didn't hear anything." Amethyst shrugged.

"He's right, actually." Micheal declared, pulling out his machine gun "We're not the only ones out in the woods. Ready yourselves."

The Gems pulled out their weapons, Steven and Connie simply stood behind them, but Arlyn simply stood in a neutural stance, as the bushes rustled louder, followed by a vicious growl, sounding like something not human.

"Guys." Arlyn instructed, staying perfectly still "Don't. Move. A muscle."

They simple stood still as instructed, and as if on que, something crawled out of the bushes and what they saw brought out the horror in their eyes.

It stood on two legs, as a human usually does, but it stood much taller than the average man, and it was thin to the bone, its skin was pale, and its lips were missing, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth. Its hair had fallen out, its nails grown out into claws, and its eyes were black with insanity. The odd thing was is that the creature was covered in some sort of armor.

"Bloody Mary." Micheal silently gasped, recognising what the creature could be "That's a bloody Wendigo."

"A wendi-what?" Amethyst raised an eyebrow.

"Screw this." Echo sighed, as he charged at the creature.

The creature roared, as it ran towards Echo, with inhuman speed, but Echo, using a quick combination of his new speed, and Rose's speed, his swung his sword, cutting the creatures head off, as the body tumbled to the ground.

Suddenly, two more of the same creatures emerged from the bushes, both snarling and hungry for blood, as they both charged at Echo. Echo, being a much smarter thinker, drew out his pistol, which was loaded with stronger bullets, only fired two bullets into one of the creatures eyes, killing it instantly, then sliced the last creature in half with his blade.

"That was incredible!" Lapis gasped "I've never seen anything like it!"

"I can't believe my flipping eyes!" Pearl gasped in awe "All those cybernetics Perin and I fixed Echo up with REALLY did pay off!"

"No doubt, love." Diamond agreed.

"I can't believe this." Micheal shooked his head, gazing at one of the bodies "These bloody wendigo's are real!"

"Okay, what the heck is a wndigo?!" Amethyst demanded.

"Basically, they're human, sorta." Arlyn shrugged "They just turned into monsters, as a result of them converting to cannibalism."

"Cannibalism?" Pearl frowned.

"It's strange, I know." Micheal nodded his head "But basically, cannibalism is something that a very small percentage of humans follow, which concerns humans eating human flesh."

"Humans _eat_ other humans?! Gross!" Lapis gasped "So disgusting! And most of you wonder why I never once tried to give humans a chance."

"Except for me, right, darlin'?" Arlyn smirked.

"With the exception of you, dear, of course." Lapis smiled half-heartedly "You and Steven were the only two humans I ever gave a chance to."

"But what does this 'cannibalism' have to do with such...abominations?" Pearl asked.

"Acording to God's bible, cannibalism is considered the ultimate sin, right next to suicide." Micheal declared "Such an act is considered unholy, something not of Earth or even the underworld. Once a man gets a taste of human flesh, they begin changing, to the point where you can't even recognise them. Like what you see before you."

"But where did they come from?" Amethyst asked.

"I can only dread to guess." Micheal shuddered "See the tech they're covered with? The muscle fiber has enough force, over five hundred pounds times the power of a jackhammer in one fist. And the stealth cloak? Something unearthly, I can tell you that."

"No." Pearl gasped "You mean they were..."

"I'm afraid so, lass." Arlyn nodded "They were humans, ubducted randomly by the Homeworld Gems."

"But what use would the Diamond Authority have for such creatures?" Lapis asked, disturbed "Or better yet, how did they discover such evil?"

"I'm not sure." Micheal shrugged "I guess they wanted to make an army of super sodliers, like me and Arlyn there, but one they can control. I've seen it before, during my first couple of months on Homeworld. They would starve humans for weeks, months, heck, even years, before tossing in a fresh corpse and sometimes forcing their prisoners to chow down on human meat."

"Thank Jesus that I didn't get put through that." Arlyn sighed.

"You saw this before?!" Pearl gasped, before growling "And yet you did nothing to stop it?!"

"It was years ago, Pearl." Micheal shrugged "And besides, I was still a soldier, when Maria's life was on the line. I still followed orders. But there was nothing I could do to put a stop to it."

"Couldn't you, I don't know," Amethyst said "Try telling them it's wrong? Let alone disgusting?"

"Don't ya think he tried that?" Alryn glared "But the Authority is notorious for being stubborn. And when I escaped and took Micheal and Lapis with me, you can say that the Authority got desperate for their armies. They're still human, course, just a lot of power, and far less predictable."

"A fate worse than death." Micheal sighed.

"I'm not complaining." Echo shrugged, the others finding this rather surprising to his nature "As far as I'm concerned, Homeworld's just building a bunch of walking vending machines."

"Aye," Arlyn shrugged "Vending machines full of _blood._ "

"Chill out, Vamp." Micheal chuckled, before turning to Echo "But Arlyn's right. They're still human."

"Humans that terrorize innocents for a bite of flesh." Echo stated, holding up his blade "They knew what they were asking for when they took their first bite." Sheathing his blade, he declared "I'm just the Reaper."

"A bit cold, Echo." Arlyn smirked "Even for you."

"Well, if the trail run is complete, we'd best make for home then." Micheal declared "Before Garnet comes out here, just fer mah arse."

"Right." Pearl agreed, before turning to Echo "Don't worry. Things will get better for you, before you know it."

"Right." Echo simply grunted.

"Aye." Arlyn grinned "Time to bring up the peace."

As they made their way to the warp pad, Echo took one last glance at the Wendigo corpses, rather disgusted at what he had to see, before turning to the warp pad, following his group.

 _Meanwhile..._

On Homeworld, Yellow Diamond lookied out her palace window, as one of her servants entered the throne room.

"Madame, I have news." She declared "I'm afraid Peridot has been captured, and her mission comprimised."

"And Yuki?" Yellow Diamond asked.

"Dead, I'm afraid." The servant said "Also, word has gathered that the Gem Stalker has recovered to full health."

Silence ensued, as Yellow Diamond spoke up.

"Find him." Yellow Diamond said stirnly.

"At once, madame." The servant bowed, before leaving the room.

"So you live after all." Yellow thought to herself "It's only a matter of time, before all is revealed..." She stopped for a moment, before completing her sentance "My son."

 **I hope you guys are still enjoying the story so far, and like I said, I apologize if I post these new chapters late, I've been rather busy, but don't worry, for I only have for days of this institute left, so once I'm done here, I can focus more time on my stories, so bear with me. Anyways, thank you for your patience, and I hope you enjoy this new chapter! And be sure to review!**


	8. Chapter 8

Steven Universe: Echoes in our Minds

Chapter Seven: Some Time Alone

Amethyst and Echo walked along the peir of the Beach City docks, looking out to the oceans, admiring the view of the sunset. After Echo had finally recovered, Amethyst wanted a whole day with just the two of them, alone. Even Echo wanted to spend some quality alone time with Amethyst, reluctently, for the sake of their relationship.

"It's a nice day in Beach City." Echo admitted.

"Yeah," Amethyst sighed "It is..."

"What's wrong?" Echo asked, noticing Amethysts down tone.

"It's nothing." She shooked her head.

"Come on, babe." Echo smirked "As your boyfriend, I would like to know what's on your mind."

"Fine." Amethyst sighed "I was afraid of losing you, babe. I thought you were a gonner for sure, after the damage you took."

"But I'm fine now, am I?" Echo frowned "Or at least finer."

"It's not just that." Amethyst went on "You're actually the first guy I've ever fallen in love with and actually care about. If anything ever happened to you, I'd never be able to handle that."

"I'm sorry it worried you." Echo said "But I'm still here and am still strong. And I can assure you that I'm only gonna get stronger. And I assure you, that I will make those bastards pay for the trouble they caused. And I promise you, that from this day forward, things will be a lot better between us."

"You promise?" Amethyst asked.

"But that doesn't mean I'll be living with you guys." Echo declared "I still intend to work alone. After you guys intervened that time, I felt so weak, because I wasn't strong enough to deal with those bastards on my own."

"But it's what friends are for, babe." Amethyst protested "And what do you think Rose has been to you this whole time? She's been your guide, teacher, and especially friend. You just have to learn to accept the help offered to you. I mean, ever since we met, you've done nothing but push us away."

"I push everyone away." Echo shrugged "Friends just get in the way, and end up getting hurt."

"Well, maybe it's time to stop." Amethyst declared "I was like you, long ago. A lone wolf, no friends, didn't need anyone. Until Rose Quartz, Garnet and Pearl took me in and gave me a purpose, a home, but most of all, people I can count on. Friends."

"Friends, huh." Echo mused "What a noble concept."

"So, whaddya say, babe?" Amethyst smirked, hip-bumping him.

"I guess you're right." Echo chuckled "I should try to be more open to others." He raised an eyebrow "Where did you go off being so wise?"

"I've been around Steven a lot." Amethyst laughed "When you're around a friendly kid like Steven, he starts to rub off on ya!"

"I hope that's not a dirty metaphor of some sort." Echo shooked his head "I don't think we're aloud to be dirty in public."

"Relax." Amethyst smiled "It's not, if it's behind closed doors."

"If you say so." Echo shrugged "Now, where was we?"

"This." Amethyst quickly pressed her lips against Echo's, as the two embraced in a passionate kiss, as they stood there, the sun setting on the horizon.

 **Hey, so, sorry guys, if this chapter is shorter than it usually is, but I've just been busy with work as of late, and I've been having trouble getting ideas down, I've just been stuck recently, so I'm very sorry to you guys, for making you all wait, you've just been the most loyal readers, and I really appreciate you guys still reading my stories, and being patient with me. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy the story still, and be sure to review!**


	9. Chapter 9

Steven Universe: Echoes in our Minds

Chapter Eight: The Only Thing I Know for Real

Echo, Steven, Connie, Lion and Amethyst were at the Kindergarten, searching around the canyon, both keeping a careful eye out for a certain target, for what seems like hours.

"Hey, Pearl." Echo spoke into the communicator "What're we looking for again?"

"You're looking for Peridot." Pearl responded "Somehow, she managed to escape from her cell. We have a suspicion that she retreated to the Kindergarten, we're not sure why. Also, she somehow managed to run off with Rose's sword. We don't know how she managed to get it without anyone noticing, but we also need it found as well!"

"Don't worry, Pearl, we'll find her." Steven declared "And the sword too."

"Thanks, Steven." Pearl responded "And don't forget, the wedding will begin in a few hours, so please don't take too long."

"Did something happen, while I was comatose, Amethyst?" Echo asked.

"It's complicated, babe." Amethyst sighed "Ya see, Michael's crazy second in command went bat crud insane and tried to turn the whole world towards chaos, by using your body as a conduit, but Michael was able to beat her, but in the end, it was Peridot who caused the whole madness, from behind the scenes, and almost got Mikey killed."

"So Michael saved me, but the crazy chick wanted to use my body as a conduit?" Echo mused "I'm not sure if that makes any sense."

"Either way, Michael saved your life." Steven said "When we get the chance, you should thank him."

"I'll think about it." Echo shrugged "Now, let's get to searching."

And so, they began their search, looking high and low, for any signs of Peridot, with little to no success, after what seemed like hours.

"Ugh, we've been searching for hours and no sign of Peridot!" Amethyst groaned.

"Relax, Amy." Echo chuckled "She has to be around here somewhere."

"But the wedding will be in a few hours." Steven declared "We'll just have to continue the search next time."

"Well, it's gonna be a while to get back to Beach City." Connie declared, as she and Steven hopped onto Lion's back.

"Hmmm." Echo mused, as he turned his attention to a yellow chopper motorcycle, with red hotrod flames on the sides, as a grin spread across his face "That'll do."

A few minutes later, Echo readied the motorcycle, with Amethyst on the back, wrapping her arms around Echo's waist, as he started up the motorcycle.

"Whoever left this out here might not be missing it." Echo chuckled, as he revved up the motorcycle "Oh well. Time to get going."

And so off the group went, Echo leaving behind what seems like his phone number and a message saying 'I need to barrow your bike. Thank you for your cooperation' carved into the dirt.

 _A few minutes later…_

The group was riding along, Steven and Connie riding on Lion's back, as Lion ran alongside Echo, who was driving the motorcycle, with Amethyst holding on.

"Echo, are you guys on your way?" Pearl called over the communicator.

"Yeah, we're on our way now." Echo replied "Sorry, but we weren't able to find Peridot."

"Just get here." Pearl responded, sounding rather disappointed "The wedding will be in a few minutes."

"Got it." Echo nodded, shutting off the communicator "That could've gone better."

"She sounded pretty upset." Amethyst remarked.

"Can you blame her?" Steven frowned "That sword is the only memory we have left of my mom."

"I bet." Echo shrugged, before suddenly becoming stern "Guys, slow up."

"What's wrong, Echo?" Steven asked, taking note of Echo's change in tone.

"Just slow up." Echo commanded, slowing his speed.

Confused still, Steven obeyed, asking Lion to stop, as they came to a sudden stop, before looking forward, and in surprise, but also shock, they saw Peridot, on her knees, cradling Rose's sword in her arms, and to the group saw Yellow Diamond, kneeling on one knee, with a hand on Peridot's shoulder.

Yellow Diamond had slight changes, after her last encounter with Echo. As one of the rulers of Homeworld, she is of a massive size, her height making a common pearl's pale in comparison, though for this, she seems to have shrunken her height to match a normal human's size. She has a pointed, upturned nose, plump lips and an unusually long neck. Her hair is a short bob with two spiked tips. She has black eyebrows, and black markings around both her eyes, which are bright yellow with diamond shaped pupils. She wears a black and olive bodysuit similar to the ones worn by Jasper, Peridot, and Garnet, as well as a yellow coat with very large shoulder pads and a cutout for her gemstone, which was still located on her chest, where a human heart would be, if she had a heart. She also wears gloves of a slightly darker yellow and very dark olive yellow boots.

Yellow Diamond turns her head, looking towards the group for a brief second, before returning her gaze to Peridot, rising to her feet, before nodding towards the group. Peridot only turned and made her way to the group, with a nearly terrified expression on her face, as she drew closer.

"Peridot?" Steven whispered, sounding rather concerned.

"Steven," Peridot muttered, looking toward Steven.

"Having a little 'heart to heart'?" Echo deadpanned, getting her attention.

Peridot remained silent, unable to think up of an answer.

"Echo and friends." Yellow Diamond calmly said, facing their direction "Funny meeting you here."

"You knew we would come this way." Echo deadpanned, causing Yellow Diamond to frown "Though I suppose I should thank you for not killing everyone at Beach City?"

"Well, not if you say it like that." Yellow Diamond chuckled, making Steven, Connie and Amethyst uneasy.

"For a power hungry tyrant, you aren't very good at your job." Echo challenged.

"The Earth is the true benefit." Yellow Diamond retorted "At the very core of this organic filled planet, lies a very powerful cluster, which is very important to me."

"That all you care about is some stupid cluster?" Echo growled "You tyrants are all the same, using war machines to fill your pockets."

"I'm not talking about money, Echo." Yellow Diamond countered, spreading her arms apart "I'm talking about ideals."

"Excuse me?" Echo raised an eyebrow.

"Ignorant child." Yellow Diamond sighed "Forget it. You're clearly too young to understand. Let's move to a more…interesting topic. Rose Quartz, I assume you're still …bound to this child?"

As if on que, Rose appeared, beside Echo's motorcycle.

"Yes, for quite some time." Rose admitted "How did you know?"

"Lucky guess." Yellow Diamond shrugged "Now, next question. Echo, has Rose said anything about your mother and father?"

"My father's dead." Echo shrugged "But she told me enough about my mother."

"Oh, has she now?" Yellow Diamond grinned.

"I know that you and your grunts murdered her and my brother!" Echo growled "In cold blood, if you had any!"

"Fool." Yellow Diamond shooked her head "I AM your mother."

Silence ensued, as shock came over the group, except Peridot, who was informed on this revelation already, as they turned their heads toward Echo.

"Yellow Diamond…" Steven stuttered.

"Is Echo's…" Connie also muttered.

"Mother?!" Amethyst finished in shock.

"No." Echo said, in disbelief "That's impossible!"

"Do not deny it, my son." Yellow Diamond demanded, removing her right hand glove, holding up her hand, showing a curious diamond facet symbol permanently carved into the palm of her hand "Gaze onto your hand and see."

Echo removed his right hand glove, and carved into the palm of his hand was a similar symbol as Yellow Diamond.

"What does it mean?" Echo demanded.

"A history lesson is in order." Yellow Diamond declared, clearing her throat "A long time ago, before the war, a young human named Jack was the first human to make contact with the Gem race, after the death of his wife. I saw great potential in him, so I brought him to Homeworld and trained him in the way of the sword. Over time, he became much more and began developing supernatural powers and attributes, such as inhuman strength and agility, and the special ability to influence the minds of other Gems and copy abilities of deceased Gems, with a curse that bounds their spirits together, as long as he pleased. Then over time, I decided to do some in-depth study on his DNA and discovered that he was part Gem himself, just minus the gemstone. He was mostly human, with a small percentage of him being Gem. And so I came up with the perfect classification for people like him: Geminites, humans with powers of the Gem species. Can you imagine, other humans out there, unaware of the Gem-powers, dormant within their DNA, waiting to be awaken?"

"I'd rather not." Echo grunted with disgust.

"Now, I decided to make Jack my personal commander of my newest legion, known as the Army of the Brimstone." Yellow Diamond continued "Being the natural harbinger of death and destruction, he was given the moniker Jack the Ripper, the very name of the British killer of the year eighteen eighty-eight. Later, we began a romantic relationship, and soon, I was pregnant with his child, who would grow up to become you."

"But how can you be Echo's mother?" Connie asked "From what Steven said, a Gem would have to give up their physical form in order to give life to their offspring."

"That's where this mark comes in." Yellow Diamond declared "It's an ancient and forgotten and forbidden curse mark that binds the life between the mother and the child. Meaning so long as Echo lives, I can continue to exist, unless my gemstone is destroyed. A mark is carved into the palm of the mother and the child."

"But why didn't I know about you, when I was born?" Echo demanded.

"Because your father took you away from me." Yellow Diamond revealed "He feared that you would travel the dark road he once walked. That I would turn you into the killer your father was. So, he warned me never to follow him, took you away and never looked back. It broke my heart if I had one."

"Did you even care about me?" Echo raised an eyebrow.

"Of course I did, boy!" Yellow Diamond growled "I was angry when your father took you away from me! After everything I did for him, he denied you of your destiny!"

"My destiny?" Echo repeated.

"Yes, my son." Yellow Diamond nodded "You were meant to take the throne of Homeworld in my place and guide the Gem race to glory." A sinister grin spread across her face "Join me, Echo, and together, we will rule the galaxy as mother and son."

Echo pondered this for a quick moment. But despite this sudden revelation, he has already decided where he stood.

"Thanks, but no thanks." Echo declined "As much as I appreciate this revelation, I've chosen my path. That's why my father separated me from you; so that I can choose my own path."

"Is that honestly your decision?" Yellow Diamond frowned "You are meant to lead Homeworld and its people to glory, but no matter. History will decide who's right." She placed her hands on her hips "End of story."

Having heard enough, Echo switched off the motorcycle, gets off and stares intensely at Yellow Diamond, before motioning his head toward the clearing on the right. As the two walked to the clearing, Echo broke the silence.

"I don't care who thinks I'm right." He declared, taking position "I have cause enough to take you down."

"Wha-" Yellow Diamond gaped, before grinning, as she took her position, just a few feet from Echo "Oh good. Why that's very good." She chuckled darkly "Yes, I like that."

"Echo…" Steven whispered worriedly.

"Must you really fight?" Peridot demanded.

After a moment of silence, Echo spoke up.

"Don't interfere." He declared.

"This is between us." Yellow Diamond agreed.

Silence ensued, as the two stared intensely at each other, then quickly drew out their own respective swords, and took their fighting stances.

"And it ends here." Echo declared, putting on his mask.

"Very well." Yellow Diamond smiled wickedly "Let's dance."

And so, the two dashed forward, slashing and clashing of steel, both seeming equally matched in speed and strength.

 _Memories broken_

 _The truth goes unspoken_

 _I've even forgotten my name_

 _I don't know the season_

 _Or what is the reason_

 _I'm standing here holding my blade_

As the duel continued, Echo manages to swing his blade hard enough to knock Yellow Diamonds blade from her hand.

"Not bad son." Yellow Diamond smirked, readying a combat stance "Let's see what you can really do."

 _A desolate place_

 _Without any trace_

 _It's only the cold wind I feel_

 _It's me that I spite_

 _As I stand up and fight_

 _The only thing I know for real_

Continuing the fight, Yellow Diamond was able to dodge most of Echo's sword swings, and as Echo swung his blade downward, she clasped the blade between her hands, but Echo managed to push hard enough, slashing her abdomen, leaving a big scar on her mid-section.

"Impressive." Yellow Diamond smirked "Now THIS is a fight!"

 _There will be blood-shed_

 _The man in the mirror nods his head_

 _The only one left_

 _Will ride upon the dragon's back_

Picking up her sword and returning to the sword fight, Echo refusing to use his firearms, the two came to another clash.

 _Because the mountains don't give back what they take_

 _Oh no_

 _There will be blood-shed_

 _It's the only thing I've ever known_

After slashing at each other several times, they charged at each other once again, coming to another clash, before resuming slashing at one another, before coming to a final clash.

 _Losing my identity_

 _Wondering have I gone insane_

 _To find the truth in front of me_

 _I must climb this mountain range_

 _Looking downward from this deadly height_

 _And never realizing why I fight_

The two began striking again, blade to blade, before charging at one another once more, before Echo managed to push her back slightly, then delivered a swift stab to Yellow Diamonds chest, directly under her gemstone. Peridot watched, as Yellow Diamond fell to her knees, now conceding defeat at the hands of her own son, and looked towards Peridot, with a small smile, and winked at her, before her form poofed, retreating into her gem.

Satisfied with his victory, Echo sheathed his blade, before turning to the gemstone of his fallen foe, bubbling it and leaving it buried beneath the sand.

"She is no more." Peridot declared "Was this outcome really necessary?"

"You wouldn't understand." Echo declared coldly.

"I'll be taking that sword back now." Connie sneered, taking the sword from Peridot.

"Steven, I-" Peridot began, before Steven held up a hand.

"Don't, Peri." He said, sternly "Just don't."

"We'd better get moving. The others are probably expecting us." Echo declared, before turning to Peridot "And you'd better not try anything funny, nerd."

Peridot didn't say a word, as she got on Lion's back with Steven and Connie, Echo and Amethyst on the bike, as the group rode off.

Several hours later, after the dual, a dark figure approached the spot, bends over and picked up Yellow Diamonds gemstone.

"Echo should have finished you off when he had the chance, but I suppose mercy runs in the family." The dark figure spoke darkly, looking at the gemstone "Isn't that right, Yellow Diamond?" Only silence, as a gust of wind blew, blowing the hood off, revealing to be Black Diamond, her face covered by a dark skull mask, as she chuckled darkly "But I'm certain that you had some sort of plan, dear friend. Otherwise, you wouldn't have let your son win." She looked down the road and smiled "Soon, we won't have to worry about such annoyances any longer. Once we have what we're looking, the Rainbow Sun, and the key component, we will begin Operation: Domination, and soon, we will exterminate the humans and those pathetic rebels. Until then, we must return to Homeworld, and wait for the right moment."

 **I hope you guys can forgive me for the delay, again, but as I said, I've been pretty busy with work, spending more time with the family, but I'm still working on the fan fics, with the free time I have. Until then, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and that you're looking forward to more. And be sure to review!**


	10. Chapter 10

Steven Universe: Echo in our Minds

Chapter Nine: An Unexpected Wedding Crasher

A few minutes later, Echo and the group arrived in Beach City, just in time, because the wedding was going to begin soon, as the group stopped at the beach head, greeted by Michael and a seven month pregnant Garnet.

"Took you guys long enough." Michael said "What took so long?"

"There were… complications." Echo shrugged, deciding not to tell them about his encounter with Yellow Diamond "How much time do we have?"

"Plenty enough." Michael declared "You guys made it in the nick of time. Now come on, the others are expecting us."

As they went inside the temple, using the warp pad to warp to the hill, they then went up the hill, stopping at Pearls favorite tree.

"Why are we up here?" Echo asked "I thought the wedding was gonna take place at the beach?"

"Change of plan." Michael declared "We changed the location, since this is Pearls favorite spot."

The podium was set under the tree, the chairs were set up, and the guests were arriving.

"Wow, so many people." Steven looked in awe "I never realized we had some many people living in Beach City."

At that moment, Diamond arrived, wearing a white tuxedo.

"Diamond!" Steven smiled "Wow, you look great!"

"Thanks little buddy." Diamond smiled "I don't know about you guys, but I'm ready for the big day."

"We're ready, bro!" Amethyst smirked "You look awesome, dude!"

"Thanks, Amethyst." Diamond grinned, before noticing Echo's troubled expression "Hey, Echo. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Echo shrugged "Just thinking about stuff is all."

"Look, dude, we're all friends here." Diamond declared "You can talk to us about anything, no matter how trivial it is."

"And when I feel like it, I'll let you know." Echo said sternly, but smiled "But thanks for offering."

"No problem." Diamond nodded, before looking at Peridot "As for you, Peridot, I hope you don't intend to try to run off again."

"Don't worry, Big D." Amethyst smirked, tying up Peridot with her whip "She won't be going anywhere."

"All right." Diamond smiled "Now, the wedding is in a few minutes, so ya'll better fine a seat."

A few hours later, the wedding was about to begin, as the guests were arriving and taking their seats. Connie was in her dress and Steven was wearing a small suit. Lapis, who had agreed to be the maid of honor, was in the restroom, making sure she was ready for the ceremony. Mr. Smiley had agreed to be usher and was waiting at the podium. Amethyst was entertaining the guests.

Lapis had exited the restroom, wearing a simple white dress and quickly returned to the area to get in place. Nanafua was sitting at the piano, stretching out her old fingers, ready to play when the bride was ready. However, Pearl was nervous. She feared that something was about to go wrong, sooner or later.

"Pearl, you're stressing out too much." Greg said, wearing a white tux, watching her. As per tradition, a father should walk the daughter down the aisle, and Greg agreed to be a stand-in. "Trust me. Everything's gonna be fine."

Pearl glanced at him, and gave a weak smile.

"Now come on." Greg said, as he stood "Diamond's waiting."

And now, the wedding underway, the guests in their seats, Diamond at the altar, as Pearl was lead down the aisle, everyone was looking forward to this day. Echo, however, was lost in his thoughts.

"So, after this, don't you think it'd be wise to invest in buying a house?" Rose asked quietly, as the ceremony proceeded.

"Sure, let me get on that, with all that money I don't have." Echo silently whispered, sarcastically.

"Have you ever thought about getting a job?" Rose asked.

"Never really thought about that." Echo shrugged "Been too busy with stuff, ya know? And besides, I doubt that any amount of affirmative action is gonna land me any job."

"If you insist." Rose sighed "By the way, that boy's been staring at you for quite some time. Perhaps you should say something?"

"What?" Echo raised an eyebrow, before turning to his right, seeing Onion, looking up at him. "What do you want, kid?"

Onion was silent, gently tugging on Echo's sleeve.

"Perhaps he wants to show you something?" Rose suggested.

"I hope it's important." Echo sighed, slipping away from the crowd, following Onion to the warp pad and warped back to the beach "Well, what is it?"

Onion only pointed, and as Echo looked to where he was pointing, seeing Sour Cream and Vidalia, both crouching beside an unconscious person, before Echo immediately recognized her.

"Jade?!" Echo thought to himself, before rushing to them, getting on one knee, seeing Jade covered in bruises, before turning to Vidalia "What happened here?!"

"I don't know." Vidalia shrugged "We were just on our way to the wedding, when we saw this woman, lying on the ground, barely conscious."

"She's pretty hot though." Sour Cream mumbled under his breath.

"Who could've done this?" Echo wondered, looking toward the ocean "But where'd they go?"

Suddenly, without warning, the ground shook, as far off in the distance, the water suddenly started to form a massive wave.

"Oh sweet Rebecca Sugar." Echo gasped, as he turned to the others and yelled "Get to higher ground, NOW!"

Sour Cream hoisted Jade over his shoulder, with Vidalia's help, and quickly made their way around the beach, making their way up the hill.

 _Meanwhile…_

Back at the wedding spot, the ground shook, startling the wedding guests, and the Gems.

"What was that?" Pearl gasped, worried.

"Something's wrong. That shake is coming from Beach City!" Diamond declared.

"Listen up, everyone!" Garnet announced, standing up "Something has happened in Beach City! Remain where you are and we'll be back shortly!"

Lapis Lazuli, Arlyn, Diamond, Pearl, Amethyst, Steven and Connie used the warp pad to warp back to Beach City. Garnet was about to step on the warp pad, but was stopped by Michael.

"You're not going anywhere, darlin'." Michael stated sternly "Not in your condition."

"I can take care of myself." Garnet frowned.

"I know, but you shouldn't risk the twins getting hurt." Michael said "And besides, these people need someone to keep them calm in case something occurs here."

"Fine," Garnet sighed "Just be careful. Also, Ruby says that you owe her and Sapphire both a foot rub, when we're through with this pregnancy."

"Deal." Michael smirked, kissing Garnet "Be back soon, darlin'."

Michael used the warp pad to warp back to Beach City, but as Garnet was turning away, Peridot snuck over to the warp pad and warped away.

 _Meanwhile…_

As the wave grew closer, Echo made several high leaps up the rocky hill wall, and saw something massive underneath the wave, what seemed like a massive robotic snake. Continuing up the rocky wall, Echo came close to the top, but missed the grab on the ledge, a hand grabbed his, as Michael and Arlyn grabbed his arm.

"Don't worry, pard! We've got you!" Michael smirked, as the two pulled Echo up, as the wave crashed against the cliff.

"Thanks." Echo grinned, but that grin faded into a frown, as he turned back, and watched as a massive mechanical three head mechanical snake emerged, its three heads letting out a beastly roar. The yellow machine was massive in size, it having three mechanical heads, with two equally massive heat blades, one between each head, as its eyes glowed a bright red color.

"What is that thing?!" Echo gasped, shocked at the sheer size of the mech.

"Pythonus Excelsus." Michael declared "One of Homeworlds biggest and most destructive war machines, but a tad bit of an overkill."

"A tad bit?" Arlyn frowned "That thing is massive! It could trample entire cities!"

"That's what I'm saying." Michael shrugged "It's an overkill."

The machine coiled up, as a cocoon-like elevator emerged from the torso of the mech, as Jasper emerged onto the platform, looking down at them, with a sinister grin on her face.

"Well, if it isn't the son of saucy Jack himself?" Jasper declared, pulling out a cigar from her gem and smoking it "Just a bit late, as usual."

"Jasper," Arlyn snarled "Impressive little toy you've got there. But whatever you're up to, it ends here."

"Idiots." Jasper smirked "You're not ending our plans; you're only here to witness it in motion."

"What're you up to then, Jasper?" Michael demanded "If not the Crystal Gems, then what?"

"Yeah, you obviously have a different agenda, than the Authority." Arlyn noted "So spill. What does harming humans get you?"

"That's just the spark, boy." Jasper retorted, puffing smoke from her cigar "The excuse we've been waiting for. Homeworld's been wanting this war to reignite for years." She looked up at the sky "The Diamond Authority, they knew that war was good for Homeworld's economy. Over thousands of years later, their legacy lingers on…"

"The memes…" Echo remembered.

"They left us their great 'ism's'!" Jasper declared proudly, returning her gaze to the three "Nationalism! Unilateralism! Materialism! Welcome maxims for those with no faith, without guiding principles of their own." She gave a snide smirk "Give yourself up to the whole. No need to better yourself, because after all, you're Homeworld material! You're number one!" She frowned again "Then the only value left is Homeworlds dollar value, the economy. So we'll do whatever it takes to keep it humming along. Even war." She gave an evil grin "Especially war."

"Bull crap!" Arlyn snarled.

"The Diamond Authority planted the seed," Jasper ranted, raising her hands "We don't need them around to filter and foster their memes any longer. We're spreading them just fine ourselves." She spread her arms out "Every Gem, across the galaxy, male, female and infant…" She then roared "We're all daughters of the Authority now!"

Echo, Michael and Arlyn all stifled an angry growl.

"We just need something to jumpstart the economy out of this funk." Jasper continued "This recession has been stuck since the fall of the first Diamond Authority."

"And the military costs?" Michael challenged "Wasting billions is gonna help Homeworld's economy?"

"Arms manufacturers, metal workers… Job creators, Michael!" Jasper pointed out, with a smirk "All those workers, spending money, paying taxes… Trust me; a little war can work wonders."

"So grease the gears with some innocent blood, is that it?" Echo snarled, pointing his sword up at her.

"Oh, relax, Echo." Jasper rolled her eyes "It's a 'war on terror'. We're not out to kill civilians. Extremists. Lawless gangs. Madmen."

Echo, Michael and Arlyn glared at her.

"Of course, that would have to include you." Jasper puffed some smoke "Wouldn't want any Crystal Gem sympathizers complicating the message."

And with that, she flung her cigar towards Echo, who simply swung his blade, knocking it away, as Jasper returned to the elevator, returning to the inside of the machine.

The three readied themselves, as the machine fired several objects from its back, sending them toward Beach City.

"Those look like robots!" Michael declared "And they're headed for the city!"

"You guys go and deal with them!" Echo suggested "I'll deal with Jasper and her machine!"

"By yourself?!" Arlyn raised an eyebrow "Mate, that thing is massive! There's no way you're taking it down by yourself!"

"Just go!" Echo growled "I can handle myself!"

Arlyn looked at Michael, who simply nodded, then back to Echo and sighed.

"Fine." He said "But you'd better live through this, pal. Once this is over, drinks are on you."

"Deal." Echo nodded "Now get going."

Michael and Arlyn made a mad dash to the city, leaving Echo to face the massive machine, as the machine raised its three heads, before letting out a beastly roar, Echo put on his mask and readied himself, as the machine activated its heat blades.

"Ashes to ashes, mothermucker!" Jasper declared, through the machines loudspeakers, as the heat blades came down, but Echo dashed to the side, as the blade smashed into the ground.

Thinking quick, Echo stabbed his blade into the blunt side of the massive blade, and held on tight, as the blade was lifted high into the air. Quickly, Echo hoped onto the blade, putting his sword back in its sheath for now, as he quickly ran across the massive blade, and then gracefully jumped onto one of the Pythonus heads.

"So, you like playin' hide-and-seek, y'little bich?" Jasper taunted through the loudspeaker.

Ignoring her, Echo drew out his sword and began cutting at the armor surrounding the neck of the head, then with a swift clean slice, he cut the head clean off the neck.

"Guh!" Jasper grunted through the loudspeaker, having lost control of the severed head "Fine. I'll give you that one."

Now, returning to the offensive, the remaining Pythonus head opened their mouths, revealing two massive plasma cannons installed in the mouths.

"Fear the wrath of Homeworld!" Jasper declared.

The plasma cannons charged up, then fired at Echo, who easily maneuvered around the plasma blasts, and the Pythonus activated its heat blades once more.

"Homeworlds 'Uncle Sam' needs you to die, Echo!" Jasper roared, as the blades came crashing down, but Echo managed to dodge it, before hoping onto the blade.

"Impressive, Echo. Most impressive." Jasper admitted, as Echo hoped onto the second head, cutting off the armor, before cutting off the head itself.

Echo hopped off the machine, then grabbed hold of the heat blade by its very blade and, using Rose Quartz's strength, managed to lift the entire machine and slam it down on its back, then ripped off the heat blade and wield it as his own.

"About time we end this, Echo!" Jasper declared, as the machine prepared its remaining heat blade "And you're going out with a bang!"

Wielding the massive heat blade, Echo managed to deflect several blows, before smashing the opposition's blade, and continue to slice the final head with the massive blade, before throwing it into the head, destroying the head. Finally, Echo sheathed his blade and hopped onto the back of the machine.

"Wow, I didn't know you were that strong, Rose." Echo admitted "Where'd you get such strength?"

"Trust me; I lifted far bigger things than a giant snake." Rose chuckled "And those were just my good days."

Then, the elevator began emerging from the back of the machine, as Echo stood ready.

He thought he was ready for what was about to come. But he is about to find out how wrong he really is…

 **Hey, guys. I hope you guys are still enjoying the story so far. And I apologize for taking so long; I've just been busy with work and finding a better job. Still, I will make sure these chapters come out as much as possible, but I want to take time to make these chapters good, rather than shove them out the door, so please have patience with me. Anyways, hope you guys enjoy! And be sure to review!**


	11. Chapter 11

Steven Universe: Echo in our Minds

Chapter Ten: Jasper's Dream

Echo stood there, as the elevator emerged, and its door opened, as smoke poured from it, and Jasper stepped onto the back of the machine from the elevator.

"I must say, Echo, you've got skill." Jasper coughed, her gaze fixed on Echo "Much more skill than your mom and dad ever had."

"Enough is enough, Jasper." Rose growled "Surrender now, while you have the chance."

"Hmph! As if!" Jasper growled, summoning her crash helmet "I am one of Homeworlds most powerful warriors! Though I once respected you Rose, I won't surrender to you, just because some kid has your ghost!"

"You just never learn, do you?" Echo sighed, drawing out his sword "Whatever. I'll just cut you into ribbons, for being a complete blockhead!"

 _Meanwhile…_

Back at Beach City, the Crystal Gems and their human friends were fighting off the robots.

"I hope Echo's okay." Amethyst said, as she cracked her whip against the face of one of the robots, destroying it.

"Don't get your hopes up." Lapis declared, doubtful "There's no way he can take on Jasper by himself."

"Don't doubt our masked friend just yet, love." Arlyn smirked, as he fired his pistols, dispatching one robot after another "He's capable of more than you might think."

"Yeah, don't count him out yet!" Michael agreed, smashing four more robots "He's already taken out Jaspers machine. He just needs to beware of Jasper herself."

"The Excelsus?" Pearl gasped "I can't believe it! Echo's that strong?"

"Not really. He's just using Rose Quartz's strength." Diamond pointed out.

As they finished off the remainder of the robots, they looked up the hill to see the machine nonfunctional, and Echo fighting Jasper on the back of the machine.

"You guys see that?" Arlyn pointed "He's actually fighting Jasper!"

"Now that kid can fight, no doubt." Michael nodded.

"Go, Echo!" Amethyst cheered "You show that culo brain who's boss!"

"Yeah, Echo! Show her what you've got!" Diamond cheered.

As they cheered, except for Lapis, who still had her doubts, more robots appeared.

"Looks like we've got more company, guys." Arlyn smirked "Time to get our groove on!"

They returned to combat, but Amethyst and Lapis watched the fight between Echo and Jasper, Echo seeming to have the upper hand.

"Shouldn't we help him?" Lapis asked, worried.

"Don't worry, Lapis." Amethyst chuckled "Echo can handle anything! Just watch!"

 _Meanwhile…_

Back on the back of the machine, Echo somehow outmatched Jasper, as he pushed her back and destroyed her helmet.

"Slippery little bastard." Jasper growled, raising to her feet "I don't have time for this." She raised her right leg high, then stomped the ground hard, letting out a guttural roar, as the great machine began to creak.

"Gah…" Echo gasped, keeping his balance "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me!"

The machine shook, and several hatches popped out, as several wires traversed around the body of the machine, towards Jasper, as she seems to be absorbing its energy, as her body became slightly bulkier, but not grotesquely so, as the energy from the Pythonus made her stronger. After a few seconds, Jaspers body released a shockwave, blowing Echo back a bit and scattering the wires about around them. As soon as the dust settled, the big buff cheeto puff laughed maniacally.

"Let's go!" She chuckled.

"The heck are you thinkin'-" Echo started.

"Raagh!" Jasper roared, as she charged and bashed Echo back, much to the shock of Amethyst and Lapis, as Echo was knocked to the ground. He tried to get back up, but Jasper grabbed him by his head.

"Played Homeworld football, ya know." Jasper grinned "Built up the muscle!"

"Well, I'm not seeing it…" Echo growled in pain "Besides, you probably went to some cushy Ivy League school."

Jasper smashed her head into Echo's mask, cracking it in half, then ripped it off, dazing Echo, and punched him in the face. She then attempted to follow up with an uppercut, but Echo dodged it, who then tried swinging his blade at her, as he backed up, only for her to block them with her bare hands, which turned black with each hit. Eventually, Jasper caught him in an arm lock, then tried punching him with her free hand. Echo managed to dodge the first couple of punches. Jasper then grabbed him by the throat and held him up in the air.

"Hmph, as if!" Jasper sneered "I'll have you know that I came far from being some pathetic Gem in the slums of Homeworld. Could've even gone pro, if I hadn't joined the Authority's military. I'm not one of those patriotic block-heads or beltway pansies." She turned around, still holding Echo "I could break every last one of those Crystal Gem rebels in two… with my bare hands!" She threw him straight up in the air "Don't muck with this COMMANDER!" As Echo approached the ground, Jasper kicked him right against the wall of the cocoon elevator, as cheers are heard for some odd reason.

"Echo!" Amethyst and Lapis yelled, terrified at the sudden turned tables.

"Gah…" Echo groaned, as he fell to the metal floor in pain, trying to shake it off.

Jasper gave a small sneer of superiority…

"What the heck kind of Gem are you…?" Echo growled softly, getting to his feet.

"Why don't you stick around and find out?" Jasper chuckled.

Jasper charged at him, striking him in the chest. Wounded, Echo was barely able to dodge her next attack, but he managed it… barely.

"Come on, Echo!" Jasper taunted "Is this the best you can do?!"

Echo stifled a growl. After dodging several blows, Echo decided to go on the offensive. He used kicks, sweeps and judo flips, while combining them with sword swings… but none of it seemed to even hurt Jasper, let alone phase her.

"Man-to-Gem, I can't be beat! Come on!" Jasper boasted some more.

Having enough of her jeers, Echo swung his blade at her, only for Jasper to catch it by the blade.

"What?!" Echo gaped.

"Nice knife…" Jasper remarked, before snapping it in half.

Echo gaped at his now broken sword, and Jasper tried to uppercut him, but Echo was barely able to dodge it, as he back flipped away a few feet, but before he could sigh in relief, Jasper sucker punched him, sending him sliding across the metal ground. Echo groaned as he rubbed his scraped chin. Fortunately, he used Rose's healing power, and as he turned and hurled his broken hilt at Jasper, who simply knocked it to the side, and she charged at him, and she tried punching him left to right, only for Echo to swiftly dodge them, and then caught Jasper's right hand.

"Too typical of you, Jasper… big ideals, but all talk." Echo growled, shaking his head.

"What?!" Jasper snapped.

"'Jumpstart Homeworld's economy'?" Echo repeated "What a load of bull crud! All you care about is lining your own pockets!" He pushed her back, as the two exchanged blows "That, and your approval ratings!" Echo delivered a superman punch to her face "You've got no principals, just like all the rest!" He kneed her in the face, before finally knocking her down onto the metal floor "If Homeworld, as you claim, really has gone to crap, you're just another maggot crawling in the pile!" He spat on the ground.

Jasper slowly got up, chuckling.

"All right… the truth then." She wiped her nose "You're right about one thing… I do need the confidence of the Authority… and that of the inhabitants of Homeworld. Wanna know why?" She held up a fist "I have a dream!"

"…What?" Echo stopped.

"What?" Amethyst and Lapis gaped.

"Look at us, Echo. Ever since the beginning of time, Gems like myself, Peridot, even Lapis, have been nothing more than tools to the Authority. Things to be toyed with and tossed aside, when no longer considered 'useful'," She ranted "Well no more! A day is coming, where every Gem is free to control their OWN destiny. A world of the TRULY free, dammit!" She charged at Echo "A nation of ACTION, not words! Ruled by STRENGTH, not committee!" She punched Echo and grabbed him by the throat "A world where the laws change to suit the individual, not the other way around." Echo tried to grab Jaspers neck "Where power and justice are back where they belong: in the hands of the GEMS!"

She grabbed Echo's hands and held them apart, then reared her hand back and slammed it into Echo's, who did the same.

"A world where every Gem is free to think… to ACT… for themselves!" Jasper continued.

She then pushed Echo to his knees, then kicked his left hand.

"Muck Orange Diamonds greed," She punched Echo hard in the face "And her old run down traditions!" She punched him again, then slammed his face into the metal floor "Muck Yellow Diamonds desire and vision of perfection bull crud!" She brought Echo up and pushed him away; leaving him dazed "Muck Black Diamonds pride! Muck Red Diamonds logic!" She swung her arm and punched Echo hard "Muck ALL OF IT!" She then Sparta-kicked him to the floor.

"Homeworld is diseased." She sneered "Rotten to the core. There's no saving it." Echo struggled to get to his feet "We need to pull it out by the roots. Wipe the slate clean. BURN IT DOWN!" She punched Echo down again "And from the ashes, a new Homeworld will be born." She stomped on Echo "Evolved, but untamed!" She grinned evilly, as she grinded her boot into Echo's back "The weak will be purged, and the strongest will thrive, free to live as they see fit. They'll make Homeworld great again!"

"Hnngh… What the hell are you talking about?" Echo struggled to get back up.

"You still don't get it." Jasper snickered, taking her foot off of Echo "I'm using this supposed war against the humans as a means to become the NEW and ONLY ruler of Homeworld," She kicked Echo over "So I can remove the Authority from power." Echo coughed up blood, as Jasper towered over him "In my new Homeworld, Gems will die and kill for what they BELIEVE!" She then stomped on his chest "Not for money. Not for domination!" She stomped on his chest again "Not for what they're told is right. Every Gem will be free to fight their own wars!" She stomped on Echo repeatedly, ending with one major stomp with both feet, and with one last stomp.

Echo let out a weak groan, as Lapis and Amethyst watched in horror. Jasper pulled out another cigar, lit it and smoked it, while her foot was still on Echo.

"So… what do you think?" She asked nonchalantly.

"How the heck did you get in the military, with those thoughts in your head?" Echo glared up at her.

"Easy; the Authority had cruddy background checks." Jasper smirked, as she took her foot off Echo and turned to the beach sunset "You should try fighting for what you believe in sometime, Echo. Not for a nation, or a company, or for anyone else."

Echo struggled to get up; Rose's healing power restoring him to somewhat good health.

"Maybe I was wrong about you…" Echo admitted.

"Am I finally getting through?" Jasper turned to him, smiling, then ran up to him and helped him up, dusting him off "I'll rid this world of pointless wars, Echo."

"I was wrong." Echo smirked at Jasper "You're not greedy…" Amethyst looked on in confusion as Jasper held out her hand. Echo, pausing a bit to catch his breath, simply took it and shook her hand, as Jasper held him close… then he let out a snarl "You're bat-crud insane!"

Jasper gasped, as Echo blasted her away with a force palm to the chest, sending her flying into the elevator wall. Jasper got to her knees, before looking over her shoulder, to see Echo on his feet, as she stared back, surprised, before letting out a growl, as she punched the ground, then turned to face him.

"Making the mother of all omelets here, Echo!" She roared "Can't fret over every egg!"

"Not when you're 'purging the weak', right?" Echo sneered "What do you know about 'the weak'? You weren't born poor. You've never been hungry. You don't know what it's like, to fight and steal and kill just to survive!"

"But you did survive, Echo!" Jasper pointed out "Through sheer force of will, using your own set of rules! With your own two hands, you took back your life, without anyone's help!"

"You're wrong. I didn't get this far on my own." Echo declared "I had help from the friends I made on this journey. From Pearl, Garnet, Jade, even though Jade was rarely around, Diamond, that little purple angel Amethyst, and from my pals, Arlyn, Michael, Greg, and even Connie and Steven, and even from Rose Quartz, and everyone else. They gave me the will to move forward, the power to take control of my life." He pointed at her "And it's with that power, Jasper, that I'll take yours."

"Just like your father and mother," Jasper sneered "Blind and foolish to the end!"

"We'll see…" Echo snarled.

Both fighters stood in their own combat stances, Jasper ready to finish off her targets, while Echo was ready for the fight for his life, once and for all.

 **Hey guys, I hope you guys are still enjoying the story so far, in this action packed story! Anyways, the final few chapters are sure to come! And be sure to review!**


	12. Chapter 12

Steven Universe: Echo in our Minds

Chapter Eleven: It Has To Be This Way

Another epic fist fight occurred, as Echo and Jasper exchanged blow for blow, with Echo taking more damage than Jasper, who easily shrugged off each attack Echo managed to connect.

"C'mon, Echo." Jasper smirked "Can't we just discuss this…?"

Ignoring her, Echo attempted to land several punches, only for Jasper to simply shrug off each hit.

"Justice in the hands of the Gems, Echo!" Jasper roared, as she swung a fist, sending Echo tumbling onto the metal floor.

As he struggled to get to his feet, coughing up blood, Echo glared at her, as the big Gem let out an evil laugh and a smirk of superiority.

Not willing to give her the satisfaction, Echo let out a battle cry as he began to rapidly pummel Jaspers chest. But it seemed to do nothing, as Jasper just stood there, even when Echo finished up with a vicious under-hook attack.

Echo stepped back, as Jasper simply wiped off her chest, keeping that same smile.

"Oh, boy…" Echo gulped.

Trying not to show fear, Echo charged at Jasper again, hitting her chest with harder and more rapid punches. The Homeworld Gem twitched a bit here and there, but was still not taking any damage. Echo finished it up with a good strong side kick to the mid-section, blasting the Gem back a bit, but she remained unscathed.

"Dammit! Why won't you die?!" Echo snarled, as he shook his now sore hands.

Jasper gave a sinister chuckle, as she placed a hand on her chest.

"Nanomachines, son." Jasper smirked, as she dragged her hand along her chest, her chest and arm turning black "They harden in response to physical trauma."

She then slammed her hardened fist into the metal floor, creating a small indent.

"Bottom line… You can't hurt me, Echo." Jasper chuckled darkly.

Echo let out a growl, as he charged at Jasper again, clotheslining her with a punch to the face. But because of the nanomachines implanted in her gem, the attack proved ineffective. Echo groaned as he held his hurt hand, as Jasper continued laughing.

"What did I just say?" Jasper sneered.

As soon as he turned around, Jasper slugged him hard into the air, as he crashed into to machine, creating a small indent in the metal floor.

"Ouch…" Echo groaned, as Rose's healing powers working hard to keep him in good shape.

"Time to end this." Jasper growled, as she cracked her knuckles, kneeling on top of Echo, as she raised a blackened fist, before punching Echo several times in the face, before punching him in the chest.

 _Meanwhile…_

Back on the battlefield, as the Gems and their human companions were still fighting the robots, as Peridot looked from behind a pillar, watching as the fighting went on, as she looked to see Connie, struggling to pull out Roses sword from the scabbard.

"Why won't this thing come out?!" Connie growled in frustration.

Peridot looked at the scabbard, and she saw a small strap around the hilt, with a small blinking light, which flashed rapidly between red and green.

"That lock…" Peridot thought to herself, as the light started lighting up a bright green color, and the lock fell off.

"Finally!" Connie sighed in relief, but before she could draw her blade, Peridot made a grab for it.

"Please, I must take this!" She screamed, before pushing Connie to the side and taking the sword, and running towards the machine.

"Peridot!" Connie yelled, before turning to Steven, who had just dispatched several robots "Steven, Peridot ran off with the sword!"

"What?!" Steven gasped "Where?" 

"I saw her run towards that machine!" Connie pointed "Where Echo and Jasper are fighting!"

"Well, maybe she's going to give Echo my mom's sword." Steven suggested "Maybe his sword broke."

"Are you serious, Steven?" Connie frowned "Did you forget that she tried to run off with the sword last time?"

"Trust me on this, Connie." Steven stated "I saw the look in her eyes, that said she was feeling bad about what she attempted to do and that she wants to redeem herself. Trust me."

Connie thought this over, before sighing.

"Alright." She nodded "I trust you."

 _Meanwhile…_

Back on the back of the machine, things were not looking well for Echo, as Jasper slammed her black fists into his chest, repeatedly, causing him to cough up blood through his teeth.

"Die!" Jasper punched his chest "Die!" She punched him again, and some more, before raising her fist "Die, you piece of filth!" She threw her fist down.

Suddenly, from the force of her punch, the machine exploded, sending debris everywhere.

Echo laid on the ground in pain, as Jasper stepped from the rubble, finally calming down.

"All right." She cracked her knuckles "I think we're about done here."

As she looked on, however, Echo was slowly but surely getting back to his feet, as he wiped the blood from his lips.

"I don't know what keeps you going." Jasper admitted "I've practically beaten you within an inch of your life. Why won't you stay down?"

"Because, Jasper, humanity has a resilience that you can never understand." Rose Quartz declared, appearing beside Echo "Because they never give up on their dreams and goals and their resilience is admirable. That's why you can never break them."

"Oh yeah?" Jasper smirked, cracking her knuckles "Well, why don't I set Echo as an example?"

"ECHO!"

Jasper and Rose looked up, to see Peridot, on top of the wreckage, holding Rose's sword.

"Peridot…?" Echo gasped, struggling to his knees.

"Beginning playback." Peridot declared, activating a tape recorder, as the recording began.

"For so many years, I've been working towards this," A familiar voice said "And on the last day, my own son had me doubting the whole thing."

"Yellow Diamond?" Jasper raised an eyebrow, recognizing the voice to be indeed Yellow Diamonds voice, before glaring at Echo "You're her SON?!" She growled.

"We'll leave it up to fate then, shall we Peridot?" The recording continued "A duel to the death, may the best man or Gem win."

"…Mother?" Echo whispered, confused.

"I cut him down, and that's that." The recording played on, as Yellow Diamond said "Back to bringing the Crystal Gems to Homeworld and having them tried for treason. But…" She stopped for a moment, before saying "If he defeats me… if I perish here… then the lock on Roses scabbard will deactivate after several hours. What happens after that… is up to you, Peridot. And another thing:" There was silence, before the recording continued "Seth, my child. I know I may not have been the best… mother you could ever ask for. Nor have I been the best guardian for you and I may not have ever been there for you, but I still cared about you. Every day, I think about what you're doing, how you have been doing and where you were. Ever since your father left me, I felt only rage." She sighed, before saying "After some time, however, as I traveled the galaxy, I realized that he didn't take you from me to spite me. He was trying to save you from himself. From the path of destruction he once walked." She stopped for a moment, before continuing "Though I have failed your father, I have yet to fail you as a mother, to tell you how much you truly mean to me. I love you, son, and I want you to have the life _you_ want to have. Carve your own path, using whatever methods you see fit. Don't let the Authority or even me stand in your way. And should I die, in order for you to live for what you believe in? Then so be it. And remember: no matter what, mommy loves you."

"She really did care…" Echo whispered, as tears ran down his face.

"Hmph! Even dead, she's always been a pain in my hide." Jasper snarled, before smirking "So… you think that little sword can save your new friend?" She let out a cackle "Well, go ahead, then. But make no mistake, Peridot. When I'm finished with him, _you_ and the other Crystal Gems are next."

"I was not designed to fear termination." Peridot declared, not showing any fear, causing Jasper to raise an eyebrow "However, directive four zero five is to ensure that all data acquired is preserved and passed along. To perish here would violate that directive."

"Well, that's a good girl." Jasper chuckled, before frowning.

"However, Steven stood in my defense… I have learned from him." Peridot declared with a proud smile "When Yellow Diamond perished, the data analysis was inconclusive… but that has changed. I have established new parameters now. And I…" She arched her arms back "Made my OWN directives!"

And with that, she hurled the sword towards Echo, much to Jaspers shock, as Echo forces himself to stand, reaches his arms out, and catches it by the scabbard.

"What?!" Jasper gasped, before turning back to Peridot, her face twisted with rage "You little muck!"

But suddenly, a bullet was fired at her feet, prompting her to halt, looking up to see the Crystal Gems and their human companions stood beside Peridot, glaring down at Jasper.

"Why you-" Jasper snarled.

"JASPER!"

Jasper turned to Echo.

"I once said that my blade is a tool for justice." He declared, as he placed a hand on the handle of Rose's sword "Not used in anger. Not used for vengeance." He drew out the sword, then pointed the blade at her, before smirking "The thing is; this isn't my sword."

Jasper glared at him, as Echo strapped the scabbard to his waist, as she cricked her neck several times.

"Rose?" Echo smirked "I think it's best if you take this dance from here."

"Gladly." Rose nodded, as she vanished, then Echo's form shifted once more, as a ghostly shell covered him, as Rose Quartz twirled her sword expertly, before summoning her shield "About time we end this, Jasper. Once and for all!"

"Finally!" Jasper smirked, slamming her fists together, before summoning her crash helmet "Come on!"

"Okay." Rose Quartz smirked, taking her stance "Let's dance."

Standing here

I realize

You are just like me

Trying to make history

Jasper charged at Rose and their fight began anew. They traded blow for blow, kicks, punches and headbutts, while Rose managed to get a few sword swings in. Jasper threw a haymaker, but Rose blocked it with her shield.

But who's to judge

The right from wrong

When our guard is down

I think we'll both agree

"Why must you fight me, Echo?" Jasper snarled "As the son of Yellow Diamond, you should be following in her footsteps, not stooping as low as siding with those Crystal Gems! What have they ever done for you?!"

"Much more than you can imagine, Jasper!" Rose sneered, speaking for Echo, as she pushed Jasper away "They gave him people he now calls friends and a place to call home! They gave him a purpose, and that is to stand for the weak, like the Crystal Gems have always done!"

"Really?" Jasper snarled "Like that runt, Amethyst? Please. That runt is a sorry excuse of a Gem and is better off crushed, just like all the rest!"

"Don't you dare say such horrid things!" Rose growled "Echo cares for her and the blade he wields tells him that his destiny is to fight for what he believes in! And he believes in the Crystal Gems!"

"Is that so?" Jasper growled "Well, my fists tell me that my destiny is to purge the galaxy of all tyranny. Only when the slate is clean can I build a new world, free of evil. Isn't that what we both want?"

"That would be nice." Rose admitted "But it's a dream not worth harming thousands others for. I prefer the world just the way it is, rather than harm even one soul, just to make it better!"

"What a bunch of idealistic claptrap!" Jasper sneered, charging at Rose again.

That

Violence breeds violence

But in the end it has to be this way

The fight resumed. Jasper then jumped onto the wreckage, then hoisted a massive debris over her head and hurled it towards Rose, who easily sliced the debris in half, then Jasper jumped towards her, only for Rose to body slam her into the wall, as tons of debris fell on top of Jasper, and with a guttural roar, knocked the debris to the side, breathing heavy, glaring angrily at Rose, who readied her stance.

"This is the greatest fight of my life!" Jasper laughed.

I've carved my own path

You followed your wrath

But maybe we're both the same

The world has turned

And so many have burned

But nobody is to blame

The two charged each other, only for Jasper to grab Rose and slam her into the ground, dropping her sword, then Jasper picked her up and held her by the throat. Rose managed to send a roundhouse kick to her face, breaking free from her grasp, retrieved her sword and get back to her feet. Jasper reared her right fist back and threw it at her, only for Rose to parry to attack with a successful sword swing, hurting Jaspers hand. Jasper stepped back a bit, then growled as she charged at Rose with her left fist raised.

"I'll blow you away!" She screeched.

Yet staring across this barren wasted land

I feel new life will be born

Beneath the blood stained sand

Rose repelled that attack as well with another sword swing. Jasper shooked her injured hands, then charged at Rose with everything she had, only for Rose to slice at her chest, then stabbed her in the abdomen.

Beneath the blood stained sand

"Gah…" Jasper groaned, as she gazed at the blade, then glared at Rose, before letting out a loud feral roar as she grappled with Rose.

They struggled for a few minutes, before Rose headbutts her, stunning Jasper, before pulling her sword from Jasper's abdomen, then proceeded to cut at Jaspers chest several times.

"We're done here!" Rose yelled, before impaling Jaspers chest with her arm.

"Guh…"Jasper coughed, before smirking "Well done, Rose… Even in death, you haven't lost your touch…"

"Too many have suffered, because of Gems like you and the Authority, Jasper." Rose growled "Your dream dies with you."

As she was about to pull her arm out, Jasper held her, pulling her in close.

"Maybe not…" Jasper smirked "You've guaranteed that the status quo will go on, for a while longer at least…" She chuckled, before frowning "War… Will continue as an institution. As an industry. Gems will fight for reasons they don't understand, causes they don't believe in…" She coughed, before continuing "But at least I'll leave a worthy successor… You, Echo." Rose raised an eyebrow, confused, as Jasper continued "You carve your own path, use whatever methods you see fit… You don't let the Authorities B.S. get in the way. And if it costs a few lives? So be it…"

"You were once a proud warrior, Jasper." Rose declared, placing a hand on Jaspers shoulder, before pulling her arm out of Jaspers chest, then grabbed her gem "But you have potential for redemption. In three weeks' time, you will have thought on what you have done."

And with that, she ripped the gemstone right off of Jaspers face, bubbled it, then vanished it to the temple.

"Guh…" Jasper groaned, as her form began to crack, as she chuckled "Deep inside we're… kindred spirits… you… and I…"

And with that, she fell backwards, and her form poofed, leaving nothing but dust in the wind, as Rose gazed at the remains of her fallen foe.

 _A few days, after the incident…_

While the wedding was canceled and rescheduled for another day, the Crystal Gems and their human companions, minus Echo, but plus Peridot and Jade, were back at the temple, having a together breakfast, as Steven calls it.

"Okay, everyone!" Steven declared, as he happily set the plates "Hope you're ready for a Together Breakfast!"

"Together Breakfast, huh?" Arlyn mused, as a stack of pancakes was placed on his plate "Must be a celebratory thing for ya."

"Yeah, it sure is!" Steven smiled, before looking over to Amethyst, who sat at the window sill "Hey, Amethyst? Are you gonna join us?"

"I'm not hungry…" Amethyst shrugged, staring at the window.

"Are you still thinking about Echo?" Pearl asked "He'll be back, you know. He'll always be back."

"He's been gone for three days now." Amethyst said, bluntly.

"He mentioned that it's a personal matter that he must settle alone." Diamond declared "I'm sure he'll return, once that's settled that away."

"I know that." Amethyst shrugged "I know about his past. Who his dad was. To the Gems of Homeworld, he'll always be known as the son of Jack the Ripper. But that's not the Echo I know. The Echo I know…" She gazed out the window, then smiled "is a hero."

 **And here's the new chapter! I hope you guys are still enjoying the story, and I apologize if I've been slippin' lately, but I've been really busy, and falling behind with my other fan fics, so I need to work on catching up with those, so I hope you guys can cut me some slack. Anyways, now that that's out of the way, I hope you enjoy! And be sure to review!**


	13. Chapter 13

Steven Universe: Echo in our Minds

Chapter Twelve: The War Still Rages Within

As the sun was setting, Echo rode the motorcycle through the desert, riding to an unknown destination, but he seemed to be getting closer, wherever this location is.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Rose asked, as they neared the location.

"I'm very certain, Rose." Echo nodded "I need to do this, to get some closure."

"I understand." Rose nodded "I just hope you know what you're asking for."

They arrived at the destination, which was the remains of Echo's old home, which was previously burned to the ground. As Echo looked on, he noticed a small crater in the ground, just next to the burned down rubble. Inspecting the crater, Echo finds a golden locket in the shape of a heart. Picking it up, Echo clicks it open, revealing two pictures; one of them was a picture of a newborn Echo, wrapped up in a light yellow blanket. The other picture was of an eight month pregnant Yellow Diamond and Echo's father, Jack, resembling an older version of Echo.

"So, this is my father?" Echo mused, gazing at the photo "But how did it get here?"

"I see you found your mothers locket."

He quickly turned to see what looked like a yellow version of Pearl, but appeared much different: Her build and facial features are similar to that of Pearl of the Crystal Gems. She sports a beige or pale peach maillot with a similar bustline to Pearl. She also wears puffy, canary yellow, sheer shoulder sleeves and no skirt, as well as pale yellow long stockings and bright yellow flats. In the fashion of her owner, she has a puffy yellow pixie hair-cut that is pointy and in a similar bob design and pale yellow skin. Her Gem, a yellow pearl, is on her chest, a round polished cabochon. She also carried a large satchel.

"Pearl?" Echo said, raising an eyebrow.

"Not the Pearl you're familiar with." The yellow Pearl declared, shaking her head "I am actually Yellow Diamond's Pearl."

"Yellow Diamond's Pearl?" Echo repeated, curious.

"That is correct." The yellow Pearl nodded "I'm her personal assistant. It's been a while, since I last saw you, as a young infant."

"You knew of me?" Echo said, skeptical.

"I did." Yellow Pearl revealed "When your mother revealed her plans for your father, I was skeptical about her interest in him. When I realized that she then had feelings for him, I grew to resent him."

"You didn't like my dad?" Echo asked.

"Not really." Yellow Pearl admitted "He seemed smug to me and we never agreed on almost anything. And when he and Yellow Diamond became more… intimate, I grew to really hate him. But after you were born, I began to notice some… changes in their relationship."

"Like what?" Echo asked.

"Well, it happened during a sort of gathering for the Diamonds." Yellow Pearl revealed "Every time Jack would look at the other Authority members, even if it was professional, she would become accusing, jealous easily herself, accusing Jack of cheating on her. Then after that, Jack would gather his things, pick you up, and tells Yellow Diamond that he's leaving her."

"He seemed bold, if he attempted to leave her." Echo remarked.

"That he was." Yellow Pearl nodded, before frowning "But Yellow Diamond refused to let him leave. He told her to move, but she refused, and then… she slapped him."

"What?!" Echo gasped.

"It's true. Even your father was in shock at what she just did." Yellow Pearl revealed "Then he got so angry, his eyes turned pitch black and he screamed at her to move out of his way. This actually scared Yellow Diamond, because when a Geminites eyes turn black, they tend to go berserk, so Yellow Diamond allowed him to leave, with you in tow."

"She was no doubt still angry at my dad, huh?" Echo pointed out.

"That she was." Yellow Pearl nodded "After he left, her scream was so loud and angry; I bet all of Homeworld heard it."

"So, what're you doing here then?" Echo raised an eyebrow "Shouldn't you be back on Homeworld?"

"Actually, I've been ordered by my Diamond to deliver you something." Yellow Pearl declared, holding up her satchel "You're mother sent you a…gift."

And what she pulled from the satchel brought Echo great curiosity. It was a sheathed yellow Excalibur sword, the sheath having a trigger, just below the hilt of the blade. Yellow Pearl gave Echo the sheathed blade, as Echo pulled the blade from the sheath slightly, gazing at the yellow blade, as it gave off a spark of electricity.

"What kind of blade is this?" Echo asked, gazing at the blade.

"It was once the original blade of the humans King Arthur himself. The 'real deal', as I've heard." Yellow Pearl declared "It originally belonged to your father. How he got it is a mystery. He later gave it to your mother, as a gift. She later had it converted into a high frequency blade, making the already impressive sword even more powerful."

"So she sent you to give it to me?" Echo asked.

"She asked me to pass the blade along to you, in place of the sword that was snapped in half." Yellow Pearl said "And use it in memory of Jack."

Echo nodded, sheathing the blade, and strapping the sheath to his side.

"So, what do you intend to do now?" Yellow Pearl asked.

"The only thing I can think of." Echo shrugged, getting on his motorcycle "I'll follow my dad's footsteps and become the champion the Crystal Gems need and fight back against Homeworld."

"Are you sure about this?" Yellow Pearl asked, curious "You're already Homeworld's enemy, and now you're cementing your fate further by siding with Homeworld's enemy."

"And the enemy of my enemy is my friend." Echo shrugged "And besides, I already chose my path when I defeated Jasper. We've won the fight but the war still rages. So I'm gonna finish what my dad started."

"I see." Yellow Pearl nodded "Just be careful. I doubt Yellow Diamond would want to lose her only son."

"Relax." Echo smirked, turning on his motorcycle "I'll be fine."

And with that, he drove off in the sunset, leaving Yellow Pearl in the dust, as she simply smiled.

"Like mother, like son." She chuckled, looking up at the sky "He's just like you, my Diamond. Confident and stubborn as always."

Then she walked off, her destination unknown.

 _Three years later…_

Today was a special day. The wedding of Echo and Amethyst was underway, at the lighthouse, the guests were in attendance, even Jasper was participating in the ceremony. Echo and Amethyst stood at the alter, Amethyst wearing a white wedding dress, and Echo donned a tuxedo, as Mister Smiley began.

"Do you, Amethyst, accept Echo to be your lawful wedded husband?" He asked Amethyst.

"I do." Amethyst nodded, smiling.

"Do you, Echo, accept Amethyst to be your lawful wedded wife?" Mister Smiley asked Echo.

"I do." Echo smiled.

"Then by the power vested in me, I hereby pronounce you husband and wife." Mister Smiley declared, placing the rings on Echo and Amethysts ring fingers "You may now kiss the bride."

Echo and Amethyst embraced in a passionate kiss, as the attendance cheered happily, as the couple walked down the aisle, getting on Echo's motorcycle.

"Where to now, babe?" Amethyst asked, wrapping her arms around Echo's waist.

"Now, we go on our honeymoon." Echo smirked, as his left eye glowed a bright pink "And once we get back into it, we finish what Rose started and honor her dream."

And so they rode off, to go on their honeymoon.

 _Meanwhile…_

In a dark, dimly lit room, a cloaked figure was writing in a journal, then another cloaked figure entered the room.

"Sir, we have news." The cloaked figure declared, his voice deep "Jasper was defeated and Echo is victorious."

"Excellent, Sirocco." The leader spoke, putting his pen down "And how are things in Istanbul?"

"Quite well, sir." Sirocco declared "Thanks to the redeemed Jasper's help, we were able to establish a permanent foothold in the state. No one is aware of our presence, but we have some support from the Crystal Gems."

"Good, good." The leader nodded "By the way, how's Trona doing?"

"She's… doing well, sir." Sirocco said, surprised by the sudden question "This is a sudden question, sir. Why do you ask?"

"No reason." The leader shrugged "That's all, for now. Also… be sure to wear a condom."

"Er… yes, sir… Jack." Sirocco nervously said, as he left the room, leaving the leader to himself.

"So you finally did it, Echo." The leader smiled "I know that you will do great things… _son_ …"

 **The End?**

 **And that's it for this story at last! I apologize if the ending seems a bit rushed; I've been trying not to disappoint you guys, but at the same time, I don't want to rush it, but I hope you guys can forgive me. Still, I hope you guys still enjoyed the story and will enjoy my other stories! And be sure to review!**


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